The Japan Special Zone
by shiroblade2
Summary: Zero and Euphemia agreed to work together to run the Specially Administrative Zone of Japan. What would have happened if they were able to follow through on their agreement?
1. Chapter 1

Euphemia stared in horror as Lelouch held out the ceramic gun towards her.

"Now, take the gun," he said with a smile. She would refuse, he knew, but once he used his Geass everything would be in order. Euphemia Le Britannia would shoot Zero in front of a crowd of thousands, on global television. The dream of a free Japan would survive, as would the Black Knights.

"Huh?" Euphemia said.

"There can only be one messiah," Lelouch explained, "and when they people realize that you're a false one, they'll – "

Lelouch groaned in pain as his left eye felt like it was being poked with a thousand needles. He dropped both the gun and his mask and covered his eye with his hand.

"Lelouch!" Euphemia screamed as he collapsed to his knees. She ran forward and leaned down to hold his shoulders.

"Stop it!" Lelouch yelled, pushing her away. "Stop giving me your pity!"

He rose, picking up his mask. He faced away from her as he put the mask back on. He would not show weakness in front of anyone, let alone a member of the royal family.

"Spare me your charity," he said, turning around to face her with the face of Zero. "This is something I have to achieve on my own. And so for that, I will now stain your hands with blood, Euphemia Le Britannia!"

She looked at him with a defiant expression. "That isn't my name! I've renounced it!"

Lelouch's eyes widened in shock, and the pain in his eye dissipated.

"There will probably be a formal announcement issued by the homeland about it any day now, but I've given up my claim to the throne," she continued.

Lelouch took a step back. A dozen scenarios he had never even considered before were running through his mind.

"But why?" he asked softly. "It isn't because you accepted Zero, is it?"

She smiled. "But of course. I have to pay the price for doing something so selfish. Those are the consequences."

He looked to the side. "Yes, but it wasn't very difficult for you to give that up, was it? And I suppose you did it for my sake."

Euphemia giggled. "As conceited as you ever were, but no. I did it for Nunnally."

She turned around and explained. "She told me herself: All I want is to be with my brother and that's all that matters. I want nothing more."

Not even the voice modulator in his mask could hide the crack in Lelouch's voice. "For that petty reason?"

Euphemia turned back to face him. He saw in her smile that she knew she was finally getting through to him.

"That's right, Lelouch. That's how I made up my mind. It made me stop and seriously reflect on what was truly important to me in life. Do you understand now? I'm not giving up anything that has significant value or real worth to me."

"And you don't need to worry," she assured him. "I won't tell anyone about you."

Lelouch laughed. "And Cornelia?" he asked, his strong tone restored.

"It's not like we'll never see each other again."

Behind his mask, Lelouch smiled. "Euphie, you are a fool, an amazing fool."

"I know I'm not as smart as you, Lelouch. I've never been able to beat you at games or studies, however … "

"However, in your usual rash Euphie fashion, you've managed to end up winning all of it," he said, conceding defeat with a smile. "When I think of you, I don't think of a sub-viceroy or a princess. I only see the plain little Euphie who you used to be."

"Then will you join poor little Euphie and help her?" she asked, holding out her hand.

Lelouch sighed. "You are … you are the worst opponent I have ever faced."

He took her hand. "You win. I'll amend my plans to help out your special zone, but not as your subordinate, all right?"

Euphie giggled from relief and excitement. "All right."

Their feud now resolved, Euphie began to make light conversation. "Though you haven't very much faith in me, have you? Did you honestly believe that by simply threatening me I would shoot you?"

"Oh no, you've got it all wrong," Lelouch explained. "When I really want people to follow my orders, they will not resist me, whether it's to shoot me, to grant a pardon to Suzaku, or any order at all."

"Oh, now you're being silly," Euphie said. "Stop playing with me."

Lelouch stared at her from behind his mask. "I'm serious, if I were to take off this mask and look you directly in the eye and told you to, for example, kill all the Japanese, it wouldn't matter how you felt about it."

He turned to the door. "Why do you think Suzaku disobeyed his orders on the island? It was because at the last moment I used my power to order him to live."

Euphie gasped. "Suzaku didn't remember anything about that. It was you? You saved him?"

Lelouch, still facing away, adjusted the cloth part of his mask so that none of his features would be visible. "We should go," he said. "You have a big announcement to make."

She smiled. "Of course."

They stepped out of the control room and stopped.

C.C., Suzaku, and three of Euphemia's guards were sprawled out on the ground, unconscious.

"Suzaku, C.C.!" Lelouch yelled.

"What happened to them?" Euphemia asked in horror.

"I don't know." Knowing that C.C would be fine, Lelouch ran over to Suzaku and placed his fingers on the knight's neck.

"He's alive," he assured Euphemia.

Euphie breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

Lelouch walked over to C.C. and lifted her head up.

"C.C., wake up! C.C.!"

The green-haired girl slowly opened her eyes. Nearby, Euphie was shaking Suzaku awake.

"C.C., what happened?"

"I-I'm not sure," she responded. "Did you – "

"ZERO!" Suzaku screamed as soon as he regained consciousness. "This was your doing, wasn't it?!"

Lelouch looked at Suzaku, but did not respond. This incident had the potential to ruin the agreement he had just reached with Euphemia.

'That may be better for my plans' he thought, 'but I can't be sure of that right now, not when I don't know what caused this!'

"That's enough, Suzaku," Euphemia said in a stern voice.

"Euphie," Suzaku said.

"Zero has agreed to help us with the Special Administrative Zone."

"He has?" Suzaku asked in shock.

"You have?" C.C. asked in a tone of mild surprise.

"I have," Zero replied.

"I see," she responded. "This is most unexpected."

Suzaku stared at them with wide eyes.

'This isn't like Zero. Even that girl knows it. Why this sudden change?'

"I want you to stay in the Knightmare," Zero said. "You can't be seen in public or on television."

"I understand," she replied.

Zero stood up and faced Euphie and Suzaku. The three security guards were beginning to stir.

"Shall we get going, your highness?"

"Yes," she replied. "Come along, all of you."

"Um, sure," Suzaku said. The guards looked confused, but quickly followed, their instincts to respond to any threat overcome by their duty to obey Euphemia.

They made their way back to the stadium where hundreds of thousands of people were gathered.

The Elevens, now finally recognized as Japanese. They had waited seven years for this day. The cheers that erupted when Euphemia, Suzaku, and Zero emerged together were as genuine as they were loud and overwhelming. The three biggest symbols of hope for the Japanese people were all standing together on one stage.

* * *

Hidden in the mountains nearby, the Black Knights gaped in shock as they watched their leader emerge with the princess on their monitors.

"Huh?" Tamaki asked. "What is he doing? Why is he just standing there?"

"I don't know," Colonel Tohdo replied over their communication systems. "For now, we will continue to wait for instructions."

'I thought he was planning to assassinate the princess,' the colonel thought to himself. 'But if that was the case he would have done so during their private meeting. If he made a move now he'd have no means of escape. Perhaps he has an assassin hidden in the crowd who will do the deed, clearing himself and the Black Knights of the crime?'

Ohgi, the deputy commander of the Black Knights, rubbed his chin in thought.

'I was wondering what Zero would do if he found Prince Euphemia's intentions to be genuine. I guess we'll now find out what kind of man he really is.'

Kallen continued to stare nervously at the monitor.

'Come on, Zero,' she pleaded to herself. 'You've never let us down before. Don't start now.'

* * *

Euphemia walked up to the microphone in front of the cheering crowds. Zero and Suzaku stopped several paces behind her.

Suzaku stared at Zero out of the corner of his eye.

'Zero, if you're planning anything which will hurt Euphie, I'll kill you.'

Zero stood perfectly still, but behind the mask Lelouch was sweating profusely.

'Euphie, I'm betting everything on you. Nunnally's future is depending on this!'

Euphie was beaming as she began to address the crowd.

"I welcome you all to the Special Administrative Zone! It is wonderful to see so many smiling faces. I thank you all for coming and choosing to be part of this historic endeavor. It is my hope that this place will become a model of peaceful coexistence for the whole world!"

"In this zone, natives will not be called Elevens, but Japanese. All will be treated as equal here!"

Euphemia paused as the crowd began to applaud and cheer. Suzaku smiled as they called out her name.

As the raucous began to die down, Euphemia continued. "There is one other announcement I have to make today. I am pleased to announce that Zero has agreed to help run the Special Administrative Zone!"

Eyes widened and jaws dropped across the country and the world.

* * *

Colonel Tohdo slammed his hand into his Knightmare's console. "What the hell does he think he's doing?"

"Did – did he just betray us?" Tamaki asked.

"No … Kallen whispered to herself. "It can't be. He can't …"

* * *

Euphemia's speech continued. "Together, Zero and I will work as equals to ensure that this section of Japan will turn into the place which we all dream of!"

Suzaku gaped and turned to look at Zero.

'As equals? Meaning he'll be the most powerful man in the entire special zone?'

Zero did not move a muscle, but beneath his mask he was grinning from ear to ear.

'That's right, Suzaku. Now Zero's fate and Euphemia's fate are bound together. If one of us falls, the other will go down as well. As her knight, it will be your duty to protect me and Nunnally as well.'

He looked forward as the crowd began to chant the name "Zero!" over and over again.

'We're going to need it,' he thought, growing more serious. 'Our proximity to Euphie will only increase the danger of our being found out. If that happens, everything we've done will have been for nothing.'

Suzaku looked to General Dalton, who was clapping though the corners of his eyes and mouth were twitching.

Many miles away, Princess Cornelia Le Britannia slammed both of her hands onto her desk in anger.

"What are you doing, Euphie? That man killed our brother, and now you want to … to … "

* * *

"I don't understand what's happening," Kallen said.

Tohdo continued to glare at his monitor. The cameras were all focused on Zero, who remained still, as if oblivious to the attention he was receiving.

'Was it all just a play for power for him?' the man once known as 'the miracle worker' wondered. 'Was he just using us all along?'

Ohgi's voice came over their communicators. "Let's not jump to conclusions just yet. I say we hear Zero out before we do anything."

Tohdo sighed. "Agreed. We can't go off half-cocked."

Ohgi leaned back in his seat and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been the first one to suggest that the Black Knights support the special zone, for the sake of someone he cared for.

* * *

The leaders of the non-combat divisions of the Black Knights watched the broadcast with interest from their submarine headquarters.

"My, my, it looks like our great leader has admitted defeat," Rakshata Chawla, the head of research and development, said with her usual hint of amusement.

"Not necessarily," responded Diethard Ried, the head of intelligence and propaganda. "If what the princess said is true, then Zero has succeeded at maneuvering himself into a position of power and influence beyond anything I could have expected. This means that he will have a tremendous influence on how the special zone develops, and may even legitimize the Black Knights."

He grinned. "I wonder how he got such a massive concession out of her so easily."

* * *

Suzaku did not try to hide his anger as the chants of "Zero!" continued.

'They cheer him, this terrorist, this murderer who hides his face, more than the woman who defied her own country to give them their freedom!'

He looked at Zero again. 'Why would she agree to this? Is she just being naive and trusting? Did he threaten her? But her happiness seems so genuine. He killed her brother, and she welcomes him with a smile! I don't understand it!'

Eventually the ceremony ended, and the dignitaries and delegates began to leave.

Suzaku followed Zero as the masked man calmly returned to his Knightmare.

"You're leaving pretty fast for someone who's supposed to be running this place," Suzaku observed.

Zero turned around to face him. "I must confer with the Black Knights to see what role they could play in this venture, if any."

"Did you not tell them what you were planning?" Suzaku asked. "What game are you playing here?"

"I have abandoned my original plan. At this point, any new plan I develop will begin with the goal of ensuring the success of this special zone."

Zero looked up at his Knightmare frame. Just two weeks earlier, he had piloted it in battle alongside Suzaku. Together they had stopped the invasion of Japan by the Chinese Federation.

"For a long time I have wanted us to be allies, Suzaku Kururugi. It seems that now I will finally get my wish."

"Do you see now, Zero?" Suzaku asked. "Things can be changed from the inside. Your methods were not only wrong, but unnecessary."

Zero turned back to Suzako and walked forward so that their faces were inches apart.

"It was my methods that created the power vacuum which allowed Euphemia to do this," he said. "It was the threat of me which caused the Brittanian government to go along with her idea."

Zero turned away and walked towards his Knightmare again. "That princess of yours is something else, valiant knight. Look after her."

"I'm surprised," C.C. said as they began to fly away. "I was certain that you were going to disrupt the special zone."

* * *

"That was my original plan," Lelouch admitted, "but plans can change."

"Did you use your Geass on her?"

"I didn't have to. She was so anxious to work with me she'd agree to anything I asked."

"I see."

Lelouch removed his mask. "What happened while we were inside? Why were you, Suzaku, and the others all unconscious?"

"I'm not entirely sure," she answered, "but I have my suspicions. Did anything strange happen while you were talking to Euphemia?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. My eye started hurting like crazy. I had to put my mask back on just so she wouldn't see how much pain I was in."

C.C. looked up at him. "It's as I thought. Your power has grown beyond your ability to control."

"What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Your Geass is active right now."

"It is?" Lelouch looked at his reflection in the mask. His left eye was glowing with the mark of Geass.

"All this time, it's been active?" he said to himself. "If I hadn't put my mask back on when I did … "

"It seems that, like Mao, you can no longer control your Geass and turn it off," C.C. observed.

Lelouch put the mask down and looked ahead.

"It doesn't matter," he declared.

"Oh?" C.C. asked.

"You are immune to Geass, and I only meet the Black Knights as Zero. They are safe as long as I wear the mask. There is no reason to postpone our meeting with them."

Lelouch picked up one of his chess pieces, the black king, and held it in front of his eyes.

"After we've taken care of things with the Black Knights, then we can deal with this problem."

* * *

_Author's note: __I recently binge-watched the entirety of Code Geass for the first time and I was quite enamored with it. But I was struck by a number of 'what-ifs,' the first of which being what would have happened if Lelouch never accidentally Geassed Euphemia and they worked together as they had agreed to. Rather than change his dialogue, I thought it would be more in-character for Lelouch to just put the Zero mask back on to hide the pain he was in so she couldn't see his eye when he joked about killing the Japanese._


	2. Chapter 2

Euphemia sat down on one of the couches in her new quarters and breathed a large sigh of relief.

The now-former princess of Brittania had been frightened of one thing that day, the rage of Lelouch Lamperouge, of Zero. His anger and hatred for their family were as intense as the most radical Japanese terrorist. What was more, he was right to despise them for everything which had been done to him and Nunnally.

But Euphemia had succeeded in breaking through the shall of anger and hate to the brother she once knew, the boy she loved and had wanted to marry as a child.

That was worth more than everything she had risked and sacrificed in this venture.

Her knight stood beside her, a far less serene expression on his face.

"Are you upset with me, Suzaku?"

"Forgive my presumptuousness, your highness," Suzaku said, "but why did you do it? Why did you agree to give Zero so much power?"

She put her hand up. "Enough with this 'your highness' stuff. I'm no longer a princess, remember?"

Suzaku's eyes turned to the side in slight embarrassment. "Yes, I'm sorry."

"I think honesty is the best path forward here," Euphemia explained.

"Honesty?" he asked.

She nodded. "Zero is a lot smarter than I am. He'd end up taking over the special zone with little effort. This way there will be no need for pretense and scheming and everyone will know where we stand."

"I see," Suzaku said. "But are you sure you can trust him?"

Euphemia looked to the side in thought. "I've been alone with Zero three times now, and he's never done anything to harm me. I know he hates my country and my family, but he cares more for the Japanese people."

"But he killed your brother," Suzaku said softly.

"I know," she said sadly. "I also know that Clovis ordered the slaughter of innocent people, of everyone in Shinjuku."

She looked up at him in determination. "We must break this cycle of hatred."

* * *

The Black Knight leadership gathered on the bridge of their submarine headquarters.

"Join the Special Administrative Zone? What is he thinking?" one of the Four Holy Knights asked.

Todoh turned to the deputy commander of the Black Knights. "Ohgi, if Zero is making decisions which go against the interests of the Japanese people, then … "

"You don't mean … " Ohgi began to ask in trepidation.

They stopped and turned as the door to the bridge opened. Zero stepped onto the bridge, followed closely by C.C.

All conversation stopped as they turned to face their leader with looks ranging from uncertainty to anger.

"Zero, listen … " Kallen began, but Zero put up his hand to silence her.

"I know this is not the path I promised you. Nor is it what you all signed up for when you agreed to join me. Therefore, if you wish, I will step down as leader of the Black Knights."

"What?" they all asked in shock.

"You'd really leave us?" Kallen asked, her eyes wide in horror.

"Our organization has grown into a large and efficient operation," Zero continued. "I am proud of all of you, and I have every confidence that Colonel Todoh and sub-commander Ohgi will perform admirably in my absence."

"Wait, you want us to lead?" Oghi asked.

"Wait," Todoh declared. "Before we make any such decision, we must know; why this sudden change? What are you planning now?"

Zero looked down. "Fighting, and more fighting, and then what?"

Tamaki shot to his feet. "Hold on! What are you saying, that we should dance with them?"

"We fight because we have to!" Ohgi said. "Unless you know some other way to do this."

"No," Todoh declared. "We can never make friends with our conquerors."

"That was my thinking as well," Zero admitted. "I have fought many opponents, from the powerful to the brilliant. Today I found the one enemy I could not defeat."

"And what is that?" Todoh demanded.

"A genuinely good person," Zero answered.

"Hmmph." Todoh glanced around the room. Tamaki was the only one who did not look like he was starting to consider the idea.

"The Britannian government's intentions are clear," Zero continued. "The special zone is nothing more than a ploy on their part to divide us and dry up our support among the people. That has not changed. Princess Euphemia's intentions are genuine, however. She has already sacrificed much to ensure this special zone's success."

"What sort of sacrifice?" Kallen demanded.

"She has given up her title and station as a princess of Britannia."

There was a collective gasp.

Dietard smiled. "I see. What a brilliant plan, Zero."

"It was not my plan. It was a decision she made beforehand, the price she was willing to pay to ensure her plan's success."

"Who cares if she's a princess or not?" Tamaki asked. "She's still a Britannian. We can't trust them!"

Dietard turned to Tamaki. "It matters in that it means that under her and Zero's leadership, the Special Administrative Zone will have far more autonomy than we could have hoped. In addition, a split in the royal family can only be to our benefit."

"Exactly," Zero said. "Our end goal remains the same, a free and independent nation for Japan. But instead of fighting tooth and nail for it, we've been given an unexpected chance to truly build it from the ground up, to show that we can govern ourselves effectively. This will be the first step."

"That's all well and good," Todoh said, "but how can the Japanese prove that they can govern themselves when the special zone is led by two people who are not Japanese, one of whom is from the Britannian royal family?"

Lelouch grinned behind his mask. 'And what would you do if you knew the second person was also former Brittanian royalty?'

"What would you have me do, colonel? Assassinate the princess? Actively sabotage an honest attempt to improve thousands of lives? You're a man of honor, Todoh. Is that what you would do?"

Todoh gave him a stern look. "You're right. I couldn't do that. But I'm a military man. I couldn't participate in this sort of venture even if I wanted to."

"I understand." Zero stepped forward and held out his right hand. "You may have joined us only recently, but it's been an honor working with you, Colonel Todoh."

Todoh took Zero's hand and shook it firmly. "It's been an honor for me as well. But something tells me our days of fighting together on the battlefield are not over."

"Indeed they aren't," Zero agreed.

The masked man turned to the others. "And what about the rest of you?"

Ohgi stepped forward, a smile of relief spreading across his face. "I'm with you, Zero. I was the one who argued for supporting the special zone, and I'm not going to change my mind on that now."

Zero turned to Kallen, who looked uncomfortable.

"Tell me, do you really think we can trust the Britannians?"

"Of course we can trust them," Zero answered. "We can trust them to always be duplicitous. That makes them easy to predict. Euphemia is another matter, but her impulsiveness vexes the Britannians as much as us."

Kallen grimaced, still unconvinced. But she stated: "All right. This is all I've got. I'm not about to give it up. So I guess I'm with you too."

Rakshata held up her pipe. "And what does that mean for my Guren?"

"Those are details which will have to be worked out by the administration of the Special Zone," Zero replied. "The first step will be positioning as many of our own people as possible in the administration."

Tamaki waved his hand and grinned. "I'm up for that! How about you make me minister of finance or something?"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow behind his mask. "I'm sorry, Tamaki, but I already have someone in mind for that particular position."

* * *

Princess Cornelia's expression was as livid as General Andreas Dalton had expected when her image appeared on his monitor.

"Please explain to me Dalton," Cornelia asked, "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?"

"I'm not entirely sure, your highness," the general admitted. "My read of the situation is that we have won, but not as decisively as we would have liked. Zero has acknowledged defeat and has managed to salvage some semblance of relevancy out of it."

"So you don't think he remains a threat?"

"That man will remain a threat as long as he lives. But his military might will have been greatly diminished. The Black Knights will still split apart, and while Zero will have tremendous influence within the Special Zone, his authority will be limited to there alone."

"What if we assassinated him?"

"That would be ill-advised. It would lead to riots across the country and a full-scale war. While we would certainly win with Zero taken out of the equation, we'd destroy our credibility internationally. It would cripple our ability to negotiate with the Chinese Federation and the EU."

Cornelia snarled. "So you're recommendation is that we do nothing? I won't stand for that! You yourself said that Zero has an intense hatred for the royal family, and now he's in close proximity to Euphie!"

"I did say that," Dalton responded, "and I still believe that to be the case. But that being said, I do not believe that Princess Euphemia is in any danger from Zero."

"Explain."

"Princess Euphemia is a fundamentally person from yourself, Prince Clovis, or any of the other royals. She and Zero have interacted on multiple occasions, and he has seen how different she is. Based on his actions,it is my belief that he has at the very least developed a fondness for her – I suspect his feelings may even be romantic, judging by how radically he changed all of his plans just because of her."

"You think Zero is in love with my younger sister? The very thought disgusts me."

"Unfortunately for Zero, Princess Euphemia currently only has eyes for her knight."

"Don't remind me."

"But if his feelings for her are romantic in nature, it will make him easier to manipulate in the long run. In addition, this will be a golden opportunity to spy on Zero and discover his true identity. Once we have that information, we will know all of his weaknesses and be in a position to destroy him at our leisure."

Cornelia leaned back in her seat. "Very well. The Prime Minister supports this venture, so I have no choice but to do so as well. I want you to stay with Euphie. Absolutely nothing can be allowed to happen to her. Is that clear?"

"Of course, your highness."

* * *

C.C plopped herself down on the bed of Zero's quarters as soon as they entered the room.

"So what now?" she asked.

Lelouch took off his mask. "The first step is protecting my identity. Simply being in the special zone will make it much harder to keep secret. I can't return there until steps are taken to ensure no one can find out who I am."

"And this person you have in mind to take the position Tamaki wanted, does he play a part in this plan to protect your identity?"

Lelouch smiled. "He does."

Lelouch's phone vibrated. He looked at the caller ID in surprise.

"Nunnally?" he asked, answering the phone.

All traces of Zero, the most dangerous criminal in Britannian history, melted away at the sound of the sweet little voice at the other end of the line. "Hi Lelouch. I was wondering, um… do you suppose I could talk to Euphy again? I was thinking that the three of us could go to the school festival together."

"You see, Milly said they were organizing another one since everything got all messed up the other day. So I was hoping that we could go to the new one together too. Oh, I'm sorry… I know you don't want us meeting ever again.

"But I thought maybe, if there was some way you and I could maybe see her just one last time … "

"It's all right, Nunnally," he assured her. "I can't ask her directly, but maybe I can pass on your invitation through Suzaku. Euphie's going to be very busy, but if she can find the time I'm sure she'd love to come to the festival."

"Oh, thank you, big brother!"

"We'll talk about it more when I get back tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok."

No sooner had he hung up than C.C. was back at it, pestering him with more questions.

"What do you plan to do about your Geass? With it out of control, you can't go out in public anymore. You won't even be able to go to class without it accidently taking control of the other students."

"That's going to be a big problem going forward. Coming up with a long-term solution will take time, but I do have a short-term solution that would let me go back to school for a few days at least."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"I think you'll like it."

* * *

"Whoa, Lelouch! What happened to your face?"

Lelouch grimaced in pain as he turned to respond to Rivalz. His left eye was so swollen that he could not see out of it. He had to look at people with just his right eye.

"Did you get into a fight?" Rivalz asked.

"Kind of," Lelouch responded. "I was just a little careless. It's nothing to worry about, really."

'If you say so. Sometimes you really ask for trouble."

It was true, Lelouch had to admit to himself. The previous day he had sought to compel one woman to shoot him, and then asked another woman to punch him in the face.

C.C. had enjoyed carrying out that request even more than he had anticipated.


	3. Chapter 3

Schneizel el Britannia, the Second Prince and Prime Minister of the Holy Britannian Empire, could not wait for that day's round of negotiations to be over.

It had become obvious within minutes that nothing would be accomplished that day, and yet the negotiations were dragged out for four full hours of meaningless posturing.

And so Schneizel played along, pretending to be interested in the thoughts and concerns of these lesser men, all the while plotting what show of force would be necessary to get them to come to their senses when this farce of a meeting was over.

It was a relief when he was finally able to rise and take his leave of them.

Back aboard the Avalon, the flying fortress which was the flagship of the entire Britannian military forces, Schneizel refused to take his command seat. After four straight hours of sitting he felt the need to stretch his legs.

His expression was as neutral as it ever was, but Kanon Maldini, his personal assistant, was instantly aware of the failure to make any progress by Schenizel's silence.

"Perhaps tomorrow will be more productive," Kanon suggested.

"Unlikely," Schneizel replied. "We should begin mobilizing our forces and putting them in position for a new offensive as soon as these talks are completed."

"I see."

Schneizel grinned. Kanon shared his prince's disdain for violence and conflict, but they both understood that there were times when it was necessary.

"What are the latest reports from Area 11?"

Kanon appeared to summon a folder filled with documents from nowhere. "Intelligence has finally reported back on the effects the Specially Administrative Zone is having on the Black Knights."

"And what are those effects?"

Kanon flipped a page. "The Black Knights have apparently split into two disparate groups. Colonel Todoh and the Four Holy Swords have broken off in protest against Zero's participation in the special zone, and they have taken the most hardline militant members with them, along with a majority of the organization's knightmare frames."

"The main Black Knights organization has been reduced to those who joined Zero early on, his most loyal followers. His military might is currently believed to be around the level it was during the Battle of Narita."

"Considering the damage he did to us then, that is hardly insignificant," Scheizel observed.

"Yes, your highness, but both Zero and Todoh's forces combined are a fraction of what the Black Knights were before Princess Euphemia's announcement of the special zone. The majority have simply left the organization entirely."

"How many of those left to join the special zone?"

"Unknown, but a significant number were leaving the Black Knights to do so even before Zero announced his decision to join the special zone."

Schneizel took the folder from Kanon rifled through the documents. He stopped at a picture of the masked terrorist, Zero.

For the first time in his life, Schneizel was jealous of someone else.

Zero was incredibly intelligent. He was unpredictable. He was dangerous. And he was a mystery.

In short, he was interesting.

Schneizel was not worried about his half-sister's safety the way Cornelia was. He was envious of the fact that Euphie would be interacting with a man like Zero on a regular basis while he was stuck with these boring bureaucrats.

Unfortunately, the prime minister could never concern himself solely with the affairs of a small corner of an area on the far side of the world. As long as the situation there remained stable, he would have to content himself with watching from afar.

"And what about Zero himself?"

"He seems to have dropped off the map for the moment. He's been sending a pair of his subordinates to the special zone to negotiate on his behalf and begin the integration of the Black Knights into the administration. The representatives are Kaname Ohgi, his deputy commander, and Diethard Ried."

"The Britannian media man who defected to the Black Knights?"

"The same."

Schneizel rubbed his chin in thought. Diethard Ried's handling of the media had been an important component of Clovis' rule of Area 11. That he, a Britannian, was not only welcome in the Black Knights but given a high-ranking position revealed multiple things about Zero. But those final pieces of the puzzle remained elusive.

As did Zero himself.

Schneizel looked down at the photograph of the black-clad figure again.

"Where have you disappeared to at a time like this?"

* * *

"Lelouch, are you finished with those figures yet?"

Lelouch slammed his papers down on the table in exasperation. "We maxed-out the budget with the last festival. Even if we cut ten percent of the budget of every club in the school, there isn't enough to fund another festival like that again on such short notice."

"But we've got to make up for the disruption at the last festival!" Milly Ashford, the Student Council President, insisted.

"I can't make money appear out of thin air!" Lelouch complained. "I'm not a miracle worker!"

"He may be right," Rivalz observed. "If Lelouch can't find the money to pay for this festival, then no one can. It's a real shame, too. It'll probably be our last chance to see Suzaku for a while."

Lelouch leaned back in his chair. "Yeah. He's so busy with the special zone he has no time for school anymore. He'd never have agreed to come back for this second festival if Princess Euphemia hadn't ordered him to come when she heard about it."

Shirley and Nina both looked up from what they were doing at the mention of the princess.

'Princess Euphemia,' Shirley thought to herself. 'Is that what Lelouch was discussing with her at the last school festival? Were they planning the special zone together then?'

She glanced furtively at the dark-haired youth. She had no memories of the boy, and yet everyone acted as if they had been a couple before. Her confusion had only been amplified when she found a note in her own handwriting that Lelouch was the most infamous terrorist in the world.

'Does that mean that Princess Euphemia knows that Lelouch is Zero?' she wondered. 'But if she does, then the Britannian government must know as well. And Suzaku, her knight. Are they all working together?'

"I've got an idea," Lelouch said. "What if we asked each club to pay for its own booth or activity?"

Rivalz raised a finger in thought. "If we don't pay for any of the clubs' participation we don't have to worry about funding some mad scheme from the science club or some fancy modern art project from the art club, and that'll save us a ton of money."

Milly looked disappointed. "But will the clubs participate if we don't fund them?"

"Some won't," Lelouch admitted. "But we've already given them more than enough for the year, so unless they've been wasting their budgets, most clubs should have plenty left over for this. Having pie-in-the-sky dreams is all well and good, but sometimes you've got to be pragmatic about things."

"I guess," Milly said, looking defeated.

Lelouch unconsciously reached for his left eye as Nina took the documents from him and he relaxed.

"What's up?" Rivalz asked. "Your eye bothering you again?"

Oh?" Lelouch said in surprise as his own movement. "The bandage itches. That's all."

The bruise on Lelouch's eye had started to heal, but he still did not have a permanent solution to his Geass problem. In order to avoid accidentally using his power on others, he had taken to covering his left eye with a bandage and claiming that it was infected. This had the unintended side-effect of greatly worrying Nunnally.

Lelouch and C.C. had come up with an idea. C.C. had gone to procure what he needed, but he could not be sure how long it would take.

In the meantime, Lelouch was stuck in school, wasting precious hours planning Milly's festival while spending his nights making plans with the Black Knights for the special zone. He slept through most of his classes as a result.

There was much to do. Even obtaining copies of the Vice Regal government's plans for the special zone had been difficult despite their pledge of cooperation. The Black Knights as an organization had to be reorganized again after losing most of their members. Thankfully Diethard was more than up to both challenges

Lelouch would need to contact Diethard again as soon as he could get away from Milly.

"There's still a problem," Nina said as she went over the numbers. "Even with all the money we'd save from the clubs, we still wouldn't have enough to pay for another giant pizza."

"Really?" Rivalz asked, looking over her shoulder at the calculations. "I hate to say it, but we may have to give up on the pizza this time, pres."

"Absolutely not!" Milly declared. "The whole reason we're doing this again is to have another chance to make the world's biggest pizza!"

Lelouch sighed. "All right. If it's so important to you, I can pay for the pizza myself."

"Oh-ho!" Rivalz grinned. "Dipping into your gambling winnings, huh?"

Lelocuh grinned back. "If it keeps the pres. from casting another 'guts' spell it's worth it."

* * *

Lelouch was unusually distracted during his phone conversation with Diethard.

The school roof was usually a good place for a private talk, but his time Lelouch found himself staring out over the campus.

Nostalgia was not something Lelouch was prone to. There were too many horrors in his past for him to ever want to go back to the way things used to be. Even so, Ashford Academy had been his home for several years, and he would soon be leaving it forever.

More importantly, it was a place where he and Nunnally had been safe, the incident with Mao notwithstanding. The moment they would leave, their lives would become that much more dangerous.

"And what about the collaborator issue?" Diethard asked.

"It's taken care of," Lelouch replied. The Geass he had cast on his 'collaborators' would activate only in response to a certain phrase. Not only was there no need to go throughout the Tokyo settlement to cancel his battle plans, he could pick them up again in an instant should the need arise.

"That's good to hear. I've actually got my own collaborator issue I'd like to discuss with you."

"All right," Lelouch said, only half-interested.

"You see, Zero, I've been working with a collaborator at Ashford Academy, and I was wondering if I should continue to keep her there or bring her to the special zone with us. Which would better fit your current plans?"

Lelouch's eyes shot open at the mention of Ashford.

'The Black Knights infiltrated the school without my knowing about it?' he wondered. Suddenly, the school did not seem as safe a place anymore.

"Who is this collaborator?" he asked, being careful to avoid any hint of concern in his voice.

"Her name is Sayoko Shinozaki. She's a Japanese maid who works for the Ashford family which runs the school."

'Sayoko?' Lelouch wondered. The person who spent the most time with Nunnally, one of the few who knew that the Lamperouges were Britannian royalty, had gone behind his back to the Black Knights.

'Calm down,' he told himself. Surely if Sayoko had betrayed his identity or Nunnally's Diethard would have brought such information to Zero's attention.

"She's also a martial arts master, the best I've ever seen. I believe we will need a greater focus on hand to hand combat with the move to the special zone, and Miss Shinozaki is more skilled in that department than anyone else in the Black Knights," Diethard explained.

"I see," Lelouch responded. "You raise a good point. I'll be sure to examine her qualifications closely."

Lelouch hung up his phone and looked out over the school again, this time with narrowed eyes.

The information he had just received was either the best he had gotten in months, or the worst he had gotten since discovering that Suzaku was the pilot of the Lancelot.

* * *

Sayoko Shinozaki hummed to herself as she cleaned off the table.

Nunnally was a sweet child, but being blind she did not realize when she dropped food or spilled drink when eating, and so it often fell to either Sayoko or Lelouch to clean up after her.

It was not a task either of them minded.

When she was finished cleaning, Sayoko opened the door to Nunnally's room a little to check on her. The little princess stirred, still not asleep.

Sayoko closed the door and sighed sadly. Nunnally had been restless lately, ever since the day Lelouch came back with his eye swollen shut. She was refusing to sleep until she was sure that her big brother was home safe and sound.

But Lelouch had been staying out late most nights for months, assuming he was home at all. That night was no exception. And so neither of the children Sayoko had been charged with looking after were getting enough sleep.

Sayoko's phone rang. She took it out, expecting to see the number of her contact in the Black Knights., but the caller ID was blank.

"Hello? Who is this?" she asked.

A harsh voice, slightly distorted, answered her.

"I hear you want to join the Black Knights, Miss Shinozaki."

Her grip tightened on the phone.

"Meet me in the school's lower levels," the voice instructed, "at the place where you once found Nunnally tied up."

* * *

The elevator to the lower levels was waiting for her, the system hacked to allow her free passage.

Sayoko had her kunai prepared. Whoever this was knew about Nunnally's kidnapping. That made them dangerous.

She entered the sewers beneath the school and froze.

The room was large and dimly lit even during the day. A narrow path surrounded by water bisected the room, ending in a staircase which led to a raised balcony. Behind the balcony water poured down the wall from another level.

Standing on the balcony, in the exactly same location Nunnally had once been bound, was a dark figure. He wore a black cloak and mask and cast a large, ominous shadow on the artificial waterfall behind him in the dim green light of the sewer.

"Zero … " Sayoko whispered.

"Greetings," the masked man said. "I wanted to meet you somewhere private, and there is nowhere more private in the entire school."

"You wanted to meet me?" she asked.

"You are the 37th successor of the Shinozaki School of martial arts, are you not? A class of warrior of nearly mystical status among the Japanese. Even a master combatant like Todoh would not compare. I could use someone with your talents."

Zero raised his hand at her in a dramatic gesture, causing one half of his cape to extend as if it were the wing of a bat.

"Sayoko Shinozaki, is it your desire to fight for a free Japan?"

Sayoko stood firm and looked at him with a resolute expression.

"It is."

"Then you can start with the two royals under your care."

Sayoko's eyes widened in horror.

"Lelouch and Nunnally Lamperouge are both children of the Britannian emperor. That makes them enemies of Japan. They must be dealt with."

"Please, no!" Sayoko begged. "Anything but that! They're not enemies of Japan! I swear it!"

Zero stood there silently.

"Please," she continued, almost on the verge of tears. "I want to help you liberate Japan, but I can't hurt them! Master Lelouch, and especially Miss Nunnally, they're both very dear to me."

Zero stepped forward and began to walk down the steps. He stopped fifteen feet in front of Sayoko, who was trembling as she waited for his response.

"I'm glad to hear it."

A kunai appeared in Sayoko's sleeve as Zero raised his hands to his head.

She gasped as he removed his mask, revealing a face much younger and more familiar than she had expected.

"Master … Lelouch?"

Lelouch pulled down the inside mask as well and smiled at her.

"Hello, Sayoko."

"Is-is this some sort of prank?" she asked.

"Not at all," Lelouch answered. "It's really me."

Sayoko stared at him in shock for what seemed like an eternity. Then a wide smile began to spread across her face.

"I had to see where your loyalties lay," he explained. "When I heard from Diethard that you were a collaborator, I needed to know that it wouldn't effect your devotion to Nunnally."

She nodded in understanding.

"This works out better than I could have hoped. I've been searching for someone to serve as Nunnally's knight, to keep her safe from all harm. But you were here all along, the best choice to be Nunnally's defender."

"If that it what you want," she said. "No harm will come to Miss Nunnally while I live."

Lelouch's smile widened. "This probably isn't what you had in mind when you approached Diethard, but it is of the utmost importance. Until now I've been held back by concern for Nunnally's safety. But now that I know you're protecting her, I'm finally free to take the next necessary step."

* * *

Kallen was going crazy.

Inactivity never suited her, and she had nothing to do.

Her skills were completely wasted in the planning for the special zone. Even Tamaki was proving to be more useful than her in that regard.

To make matters worse, they had returned to the large van they had used when Zero first formed the Black Knights. Their old headquarters had seemed very large back then, but upon returning it seemed rather small, especially when she was cooped up inside for days on end.

Todoh and the Four Holy Swords had taken their newer submarine headquarters. Zero had been the one to suggest that arrangement, as they would find far more use for a submarine than the Black Knights would in the special zone.

That may have been all well and true, but it still meant that Kallen was cooped up in a crowded vehicle with nothing to occupy her time. Even Zero seemed to think she was useless at the moment. Their leader was in near-constant contact with Diethard and, to a lesser extent, Ohgi. But he had nothing to say, no orders for the captain of his personal guard.

Ohgi had suggested that she go back to school, but Kallen did not see the point. When they were all transferred to the special zone she would not be able to return to Ashford.

But she had no idea what she would do once they were in the special zone.

"Can I come in?"

Kallen almost fell in shock as Zero appeared in the entrance to the room she was using.

"Oh, um sure," she said, flustered.

Zero stepped into the room and closed the door. "I have an assignment for you, Kallen."

She perked up immediately. "What's the mission?"

"Extraction."

It was more complicated than fighting other knightmares in her Guren, but it was still up her alley.

"Your school, Ashford Academy, is having another festival next week. I want you to go to the festival and bring one of the students here."

"Right."

'He must be asking me to kidnap Suzaku,' she thought. It surprised her that Zero would choose now to make such a move against Euphemia's knight, but if it meant she would be returning to action, she would be all for it.

"This is very important, Kallen. I want you to bring to me the Vice President of the student council, Lelouch Lamperouge."


	4. Chapter 4

Suzaku looked up at the old Ganymede knightmare frame.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

Beside him, Lelouch nodded. "We'll be opening the festival with the making of the pizza this time. That way there's less time for something crazy to disrupt it like last time."

"Makes sense."

Lelouch looked up at the old knghtmare with mixed feelings. The Ganymede had been the frame used by his mother, the late Empress Marianne. Her exploits in the then-experimental weapon gave her the nickname 'The Flash' and led to her meteoric rise. And yet it was her own success that bred the hatred and envy which led to her murder and the exile of her children.

He had been behind the wheels of the vintage knightmare before, back when Milly had him bake a two-meter wide pizza during the previous year's school festival. Lelouch still felt more comfortable piloting the Ganymede than he did the more modern Sutherlands of Burai. Whether it was because he felt closer to his mother inside the third-generation knighmare or he simply preferred the controls and handling of the older machine he could not say.

"I'll be in the control booth. Call me if you need anything," he told Suzaku.

"Right, thanks."

* * *

Kallen approached Lelouch as he made his way to the control booth.

"You're back," he observed. "Do you only come to school for the festivals now?"

Kallen "Like you're one to talk. At least I don't cut school just to go gambling."

Lelouch grinned. "There's more than one form of gambling."

"Huh?" Kallen asked, taken aback.

"Do you think you could help Nina with the supplies?"

"Um, sure," Kallen responded. "You're not going to ask me to be part of the horror house again, are you?"

"No. They weren't going to pay for the whole setup again, so no haunted house this time."

"At least there's some good news," Kallen muttered.

Lelouch walked past her and entered the control booth. "Anyway, let's try _not_ to cause a ruckus this time."

Kallen's eyes narrowed in thought as he closed the door on her.

Lelouch had a tendency to make cryptic statements implying that he knew more about her. It was one of many things about him which got under her skin.

Much like Shirley, it frustrated Kallen to no end to see someone so obviously brilliant just waste his life on frivolous things. Lelouch had decided that simply being smart was enough. He had no need or desire to do anything more with his brains than to observe and judge others. Even Suzaku, whom Kallen despised for how judgmental he was, at least was willing to take action in accordance with his ideals.

And yet somehow Lelouch had come to the attention of Zero.

No matter how much she wracked her brain, Kallen could not understand it. Any way she looked at it, Lelouch was mediocre. True, it was by choice and not because he lacked the ability, but Zero was not in the business of targeting high schoolers who did nothing wrong but engage in illegal gambling. Lelouch, for all his faults, was a threat to no one, and even if he was, it made no sense to her to target him with tensions deescalating thanks to the special zone.

She shook her head and walked away. One way or another she'd get her answers later that day.

* * *

The pizza was a big success.

Suzaku, with no interruptions, tossed the dough with skill and aplomb. The ingredients, which had been measured to the decimal point by Lelouch beforehand, were added and the pizza was put in the oven for baking.

Sitting in the control room, Lelouch carefully counted down the seconds to himself.

"Now!" he yelled into his phone the instant his mental countdown reached zero.

Suzaku immediately opened the oven and removed the pizza to thunderous applause

"Keep everyone back for two minutes," Lelouch instructed. "A pizza that large will take longer to cool down, and you can't just blow on it so it'll be cool enough to eat."

"Understood," Suzaku replied.

Lelouch began another countdown even as Suzaku used the Ganymede to pick up a large cutting utensil to begin slicing the pizza. Suzaku may not have been a master chef, but he followed orders very well.

"Dig in," he said at last.

More cheers went up as the entire student body, as well as many guests, descended on the pizza.

The first person in line for the pizza was a guest no one knew. She had black hair tied in the back in a pink bow and large glasses.

Lelouch smiled and shook his head as he watched the girl's face melt into an expression of happiness he'd never seen her wear before.

That had been the real reason he decided to make the pizza at the start of the festival, to placate C.C.

Even through her disguise, it was obvious that C.C. had not eaten such a good pizza in a long time.

Lelouch had taken to cooking quite well in the years he had been taking care of Nunnally. He could calculate exactly how much of each ingredient was needed as well as how long the food should be cooked and at what temperature.

The fast-food pizza C.C. consumed in such large amounts could never compare to Lelouch's 'masterpiece.'

'I'd better be careful,' he thought to himself. 'She may ask me to start making home-made pizza all the time, and that would really cut into my schedule, not to mention I'd get sick eating nothing but pizza all the time.'

"It's going well, isn't it?"

Lelouch was snapped out of his reverie and turned to the door.

"Euphie."

His half-sister had returned. She wore the same sunglasses as before to hide her face, but this time she wore a green wig instead of a hat which would be easily blown off by a gust of wind.

Euphemia walked over to Lelouch and looked out of the window. "Schools really are a wonderful thing. It's a shame we royals have to leave it early so often."

"It can't be helped," Lelouch said. "In the competition for the throne, you have to start making a name for yourself as soon as possible or risk being left behind."

Euphemia nodded sagely. "I was surprised you haven't been back to the special zone since the opening ceremony."

"I've had a lot of things I needed to take care of before I could go back there."

Lelouch unconsciously reached for his left eye again.

C.C. had finally returned with the solution they had decided on, a special contact lens the same violet color as his eyes. It had cost a large amount of money to get the lenses made and taken time to erase the evidence of their manufacture and purchase, but now Lelouch could finally walk outside without having to cover his eye.

It was not a perfect solution. The lens caused irritation, and he was still getting used to putting it in and taking it out. But it worked.

"Nunnally and I will be able to join you in the special zone soon."

Euphemia smiled. "I'm so glad."

They looked back out over the festival. People were beginning to disperse to the various booths.

"I do feel kind of bad, taking Nunnally away from all this," she admitted.

"I can't just leave her here," Lelouch responded.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a disk. "Here. I've drawn up plans for the reconstruction of the residential district as well as the construction of a new financial district in the special zone. I've also compiled a list of prominent Japanese architects from before the war who are still alive so it will have an authentic Japanese feel."

Euphemia took the disk. "I see. Do you think it's that important to use Japanese architects?"

"It's more than just equality," Lelouch explained, "it's pride. If the Japanese are going to be seen, and see themselves, as equals, then their pride in their own culture has to be maintained. Having the special zone actually reflect Japan is as important as having laws against discrimination."

"You've learned a lot about the Japanese, haven't you?" Euphemia asked.

"I could never have formed the Black Knights otherwise."

Euphemia smiled. "I was working on my own plans to build new schools in the special zone. I think now I'll make sure the biggest one is a Japanese-style school. Britannians would be able to go, but the classes would be taught the way the Japanese would teach."

Lelouch glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He was beginning to realize that Euphemia had a special interest in schools.

"That's a very good idea, Euphie."

Euphemia smiled for a moment before her expression grew worried.

"Actually, there was something I wanted to give to you."

"Hmmm?" Lelouch responded, genuinely curious.

Euphemia held out her hand. Lying in her palm was a gun, the same needle gun Lelouch had told her to shoot him with.

"You left this in the control room during the ceremony."

Lelouch inwardly cursed his own stupidity. He had dropped the gun when his eye started to hurt and never picked it up again. If anyone other than Euphemia had found it, it could have been disastrous.

"You keep it," he told her.

"Keep it?" she asked in surprise.

Lelouch looked away with a serious expression. "I'll feel better knowing you have a way to defend yourself. And today of all days I can't carry a gun."

"Why? Because of the festival?"

Lelouch chuckled. "Because the Black Knights are going to kidnap me the next time I step out that door."

Euphemia looked confused. "I don't understand. The Black Knights work for you, don't they?"

"They work for Zero," Lelouch clarified. "Don't worry. This is all to ensure my safety and Nunnally's in the special zone. But it probably would be a good idea for you to be somewhere else when they grab me."

"I was going to go see Nunnally next."

* * *

The festival was mostly incident free. This time, the only chaos was caused by Arthur, the student council's cat and campus mascot. He had gotten loose among several of the booths and ruined the hot dog stand before biting Suzaku when the knight came to take him away.

Milly was pleased with the results, even with Arthur's little incident, as it provided what she called "some much-needed excitement."

As the day drew to an end, Kallen slipped away and changed into a new outfit, a costume of the Lancelot knightmare frame Suzaku used.

Once her disguise was in place, she returned to the grounds and waited behind the corner near the control room.

Now that the commotion had died down, she could hear Lelouch talking in the control room, giving instructions for the cleanup.

When he hung up his phone she could almost feel his sigh of relief. "It's finally over."

Kallen raised her pouch as she prepared to make her move.

Lelouch opened the door and stepped out onto the now-empty grounds. He had barely taken a few steps when Kallen was on him. She grabbed his mouth from behind and held her pouch to his back. There was a 'snikt' sound as a small knife extended from the pouch.

"You're coming with me," she said.

Her costume did more than just cover her face. The mask distorted her voice, so that Lelouch would not be able to tell who was attacking him.

Lelouch was shaking. Without turning to look at her, he slowly nodded.

Kallen removed her hand from his mouth. "No sudden moves, and do not try to call for help. Do you understand?"

"Yes," he said softly. His breathing was tense.

She retracted the blade of her pouch and moved her arm to hold the weapon to his side as she began to lead him off campus. To anyone watching it would look like they were heading out for a date.

From time to time Lelouch cast furtive glances around, no doubt looking for an opportunity to escape. But they both knew escape was impossible. Lelouch had no athletic ability to speak of. He had no chance of fighting off any attacker on his own.

A car with darkened windows was waiting for them.

Kallen shoved Lelouch into the back seat and sat down next to him.

She immediately seized the materials put in the vehicle for the mission and began to blindfold Lelouch and bind his arms. He still shook and still offered no resistance.

Her job done, Kallen pulled off her mask. It was a relief to breathe real air again.

"Is this the guy we went through all that trouble to get?" Tamaki, who was driving the car, asked in annoyance. "This kid?"

"Look," Lelouch said in desperation, "whatever you're being paid to threaten me, I'll double it. This is all a big misunderstanding. You can't cheat at chess!"

"This has nothing to do with your gambling, Lelouch," Kallen said, unable to stop herself.

"Kallen?" Lelouch asked in shock as he finally heard her voice unfiltered through the mask. He seemed to calm down. "So that's it. You're terrorists."

Kallen gasped. "You knew?"

"It was obvious from the start you were faking your illness. When I stopped you from killing Suzaku my suspicions were confirmed."

Now Kallen was the one shaking. She remembered that day well. It had never occurred to her that Lelouch had deliberately gotten in her way then.

"You're making a mistake," Lelouch said loudly enough for Tamaki to hear every word clearly in the front seat. "My family would rather see me dead than negotiate for my release with terrorists. And if you kill me, they'll hunt you down not because they give a damn, but on principle."

"Sounds like you've got a shitty family, kid," Tamaki responded.

"You have no idea," their captive muttered.

'Family,' Kallen wondered. Now that she thought about it, she knew nothing of Lelouch's family other than the fact he had a blind and crippled younger sister.

'But they're commoners,' she thought. 'Aren't they?'

* * *

Tamaki drove them to the Black Knight's headquarters, where they dragged Lelouch out of the car and into the van.

The leaders of the Black Knights were all gathered on the bottom level. Ohgi, Diethard, Kento Sugiyama, Yoshitaka Minami, Naomi Inoue, and Toru Yoshida.

And of course, Zero himself.

Kallen and Tamaki sat Lelouch down on a chair in front of their leader and removed his blindfold.

Lelouch squinted at being exposed to light again before his eyes widened at the masked figure before him.

"Zero … " he whispered.

"Greetings," Zero said. "I've wanted to meet you some time, Lelouch Lamperouge. Or should I say, Lelouch vi Britannia?"

Lelouch let out a small gasp and eyes widened across the room. Diethard grinned maliciously while Kallen let out a far larger gasp than Lelouch did.

"How do you know that name?" Lelouch demanded.

"It's because of the school you attend," Zero explained. "Princess Euphemia's personal knight and the captain of the Black Knights Zero squad attending the same school? I had to look into the student body to see if any other interesting people were at Ashford Academy. Imagine my surprise when I came across a prince and princess who were supposed to be dead."

Kallen was still in shock. "Lelouch is … "

"… a Britannian prince," Ohgi finished.

"Lelouch vi Britannia, former eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and seventeenth in line to the Britannian throne," Zero continued. "Eldest child of the late Empress Marianne, also known as 'The Flash.'"

"Eight years ago your mother was assassinated in the imperial palace. Your little sister was blinded and crippled in that attack. Rather than risk political turmoil, your father the emperor ordered the investigation into the murder closed and exiled you and Nunnally to Japan. He then abandoned you when he launched his war to conquer this nation.

"Since you and your sister had not made your debuts, few outside of Pendragon knew of your existence or that Marianne had any children. Taking advantage of this fact, you faked your own deaths and decided to live as commoners hiding from the rest of your own family."

Lelouch glared at Zero. "What do you want? If you were going to kill me you wouldn't need to recite my life's history back at me."

"I want you to join me, your highness."

"Hold on!" Tamaki yelled. "You want another prince to join us?"

"It's actually brilliant," Diethard said, cutting Tamaki off.

Kallen looked back and forth between Lelouch and Zero, struggling to process everything which was happening.

"You chose a life of mediocrity so as not to draw attention to yourself," Zero observed. "Aren't you tired of being less than you were meant to be?"

"If you know so much about me," Lelouch said angrily, "then you know why I _have_ to live this way."

"To protect your little sister," Zero said in a much softer tone.

"How long do you think you can remain in hiding? The only reason you have not been discovered is that no one has been looking. But if I could find you so easily, rest assured the Britannian government could as well if they got wind you were alive."

"You wouldn't –" Lelouch began.

"No. I would never betray you and your sister to the Britannians. But it does not change the simple fact that it has become more dangerous for you and Nunnally to remain as you are. We can offer her the kind of protection you cannot."

Lelouch's eyes widened and he began to shake again at the mention of protection for Nunnally.

"What is it you want me to do?"

"You can provide intelligence on the imperial family. I'm very interested in hearing a first-hand account of what they are like, especially Emperor Charles and Prince Schneizel and Princess Cornelia. But what I want most of all right now is for you to help Euphemia and myself run the Specially Administrative Zone of Japan."

"And if I refuse?" Lelouch asked.

"Then you leave here, go back to your life of mediocrity, and care for your sister as best you can. We will never speak again."

Zero motioned to Kallen, who stepped behind Lelouch and cut the bindings on his hands. Zero knelt down in front of Lelouch.

"You do not believe in the emperor's philosophy that might makes right, that the strong must conquer the weak. Otherwise you would not remain in hiding, caring for Nunnally. You know there is no room for her in the emperor's world, in Britannia's world.

"But there is room for her in the world I am trying to create."

Lelouch closed his eyes and sighed. He opened his eyes and smiled.

"All right," he said

Kallen smiled as Lelouch took Zero's hand.

"I'm in."


	5. Chapter 5

Lelouch slumped in exhaustion as he opened the door to the suite he and Nunnally shared.

He wanted to go straight to bed, but he was sure a certain someone was also still awake.

Sure Enough, as soon as he closed the door, he heard a soft voice call out his name.

"I'm here, Nunnally," he answered. He entered his younger sister's room. She was wrapped tight in her blankets, put pulled one arm out from under the covers when she heard him approach.

Lelouch over to her side. He knelt down and took her hand in his own.

Nunnally lifted her hand up to Lelouch's head. She touched the skin around his left eye where he had been bruised. Her hand moved across his left cheek before examining his nose, his lips, and his chin. She then ran her hand over his right cheek and finally his forehead.

"Thank goodness," Nunally said, beginning to cry from relief when she found no further injuries on her brother's face. "I was so worried when you disappeared after the festival."

"I'm sorry," Lelouch said. "I didn't mean to frighten you. But I did have quite a strange night."

"Oh? What happened?"

Lelouch held her hand with both of his. "The good news is it looks like we're going to be seeing Euphie a lot from now on."

"Really? But you always said we couldn't see anyone from the royal family again."

"I know, but things have changed."

"Oh." Nunnally looked troubled. "You said that was the good news. So is there bad news too?"

"Yes. I'm afraid we're going to have to leave Ashford."

"I'll tell you all about it in the morning," he assured her. "For now, get some sleep. Everything's going to be fine, I promise you."

"All right," Nunnally said. "I'll be patient. I trust you, big brother."

Lelouch squeezed her hand tightly and smiled.

* * *

C.C. was waiting in Lelouch's room when Nunnally finally fell asleep.

"How do you come in so quietly?" he asked. It would be a very useful skill for him to learn if she would be willing to share the secret.

Instead of answering, C.C. tossed a small device at Lelouch, who caught it without any difficulty.

"What are you going to do with that recording?" she asked. "Erase it?"

"I'm going to destroy it. It's a vital piece of evidence."

"It sounds like you're going to be going through quite a few of these, then."

C.C. quickly undressed and laid down on Lelouch's bed, clutching her cheese-kun.

"That went smoother than I thought. You sold it quite well. I doubt anyone would realize you were talking to yourself the whole time."

"I know myself," Lelouch replied. "If Zero really was someone else and I was just a student in hiding, that would be what he'd have to say to convince me to join him."

"I see. So it wasn't really acting."

* * *

Cornelia always got up early. As a soldier it was part of her discipline, and as Viceroy she always had more work which required her attention. That had not changed with the formation of the special zone.

She spared a glance at her monitor. Dalton was under orders to contact her if any significant developments occurred in addition to the briefings he provided at the end of each day. But there was still nothing to report.

Cornelia took a quick shower as she contemplated the tasks ahead of her. With Zero choosing to accept Euphemia's gesture of peace Kyoshiro Tohdoh had become the primary threat which needed to be eliminated in Area 11.

Todoh had been the boogeyman the Britannian military feared for seven years before Zero appeared and stole that title overnight. He was famous for the 'miracle of Itsukushima,' when he led a small Japanese force to victory against a larger and better armed Britannian force. It was the only victory Japan had in the entire war.

A man like Todoh could not be allowed to roam free. Even though his current group was small in comparison to the old Japanese Liberation Force, it was equipped with highly advanced knightmares which were a match for anything Britannia had other than the Lancelot.

Zero was no held in locating Todoh. The masked man claimed that they did not discuss where Todoh would go when they split and even had the audacity to refuse outright to provide any assistance in locating the colonel as long as Todoh did not unjustly target civilians.

With no intelligence on Todoh and Zero politically off-limits, Cornelia was left with no options but to wait for something to happen. It was infuriating for a woman of action such as herself.

After she had freshened up Cornelia entered her room to gather everything she would need for that day's work. She stopped when she saw a light blinking just below her monitor.

Cornelia rushed to the monitor and turned it on. As expected, the face of General Dalton appeared on the screen.

"Your Highness," he said with the required formality.

"Dalton, what's going on? Is Euphie all right?"

"She's fine. Nothing has happened yet, but there has been a development."

"What?" Cornelia demanded.

"Princess Euphemia and Zero are planning a big announcement tomorrow. There's going to be a large ceremony, and Zero will be there as well."

Cornelia raised her right eyebrow. "And what are they announcing?"

"I don't know. Princess Euphemia is playing this very close to the chest. It seems she hasn't even told Kururugi what this is about."

Cornelia was stunned into silence.

'Euphie has secrets with Zero that she's keeping from Dalton, from her knight, even from me?'

"Do you have any idea what it is they're announcing?" she asked after a while.

"I'm afraid not. All I know is Princess Euphemia seems particularly happy about it."

"Happy?" Cornelia asked.

"I daresay it's that happiest I've seen her since she received word about Prince Clovis' murder."

Cornelia sat down. Euphemia drove her crazy sometimes with her rashness and impulsiveness. But the one thing Cornelia wanted more than anything in the world was for her sweet little Euphie to be happy.

She was not blind to how miserable being the Sub-Viceroy of Area 11 had made Euphemia. Many of her rash decisions, including her choosing an eleven to be her personal knight, were made at least in part in rebellion against how stifled and useless she was made to feel.

But if this special zone was truly making Euphemia happy, then even Cornelia might be able to find it in her to, if not support it, then at least to not oppose it.

"You say this big announcement will be made tomorrow?" she asked Dalton.

"That is correct, your highness."

"Then I suppose all we can do is wait to hear what this announcement is. Whatever it is, they obviously don't plan on keeping it a secret for long, since the whole world will know about it by tomorrow."

* * *

Lelouch paused as the box he was packing was filled to the top.

He and Nunnally could only take the bare minimum with them at first. To pack up all their belongings would arouse suspicions and questions he was not yet prepared to deal with.

Lelouch had made a list of items he thought Nunnally would absolutely need to take with her. But he might have gone a little overboard. Now there was no room for to pack even a change of clothes for himself.

There was a knock at his door.

"Who is it?" he asked.

"It's me," Kallen's voice answered.

"You can come in," he said. There was no need to hide the fact that he was packing from Kallen.

Kallen entered slowly. Her eyes darted around the suite as if she was seeing it for the first time In a sense, she was.

"So, um," she began hesitatingly, "how'd Nunnally take the news?"

"She's actually really excited to go to the special zone," Lelouch replied. "On the other hand, there was no gentle way to tell her that I'd been kidnapped by the Black Knights and met Zero face to face."

"I can see how that would worry her."

They looked at each other in an uncomfortable silence.

* * *

In the end, they decided it would be easier to talk while walking across the campus.

"I wanted to apologize for yesterday," Kallen began.

"It was a harrowing experience," Lelouch said, looking straight ahead.

"The way Zero spoke to you wasn't unusual for him. Catching people off guard with how much he knows about them before asking for their help is how he goes about recruiting allies."

It was true. She saw Zero do the same thing with Taizo Kirihara, one of the leaders of the Six Houses of Kyoto, as well as Todoh on the day they rescued him.

"I see," was all Lelouch said in response.

Kallen frowned. This conversation was just as awkward as she had feared it would be.

"I never would have guessed that you were a prince."

"That was the point. No one was supposed to know we were still alive." He still was not looking at her.

"And Nunnally?" she asked softly. "Is it true that she was … shot?"

Lelouch clenched his fists. "She was shot multiple times in the legs. It left her paralyzed. And she suffered psychosomatic blindness as a result."

"She was only six," he added.

Kallen grimaced. All this time she had just assumed that Nunnally had been sick the way she pretended to be as her cover for her activities in the resistance.

"I'm so sorry."

"Most people just assume she was hurt during the war," Lelouch explained. "I've seen no reason to correct them."

Kallen regarded Lelouch closely. The previous night's revelations were forcing her to completely reevaluate her classmate, and not entirely in a good way.

Regardless of how sorry she may have felt for Lelouch from what she had heard of his life's story, he was still Britannian royalty, and the Britannian royals were her greatest enemies, her true enemies.

"There's something I have to know, Lelouch," she said firmly. "Are you really on our side?"

Lelouch stopped and looked down.

"Clovis and I … we had different mothers, but he was my half-brother. He used to come over all the time to challenge me to a game of chess. I would always win, but that wouldn't stop Clovis from trying again."

"He was an artist, a real pro with a paintbrush. The things he would paint when he was young were beautiful. Even when we fought, I always saw the gentleness that shown through his colors."

He turned and finally looked Kallen in the eye with a cold, hard gaze. "You know what I felt when I heard he had been killed? _Nothing."_

"Nunnally cried, but I knew that the Clovis I had known as a child had died years ago. He was never cut out for politics, but he allowed himself to get swept up into it anyway, oppressing the elevens and murdering and massacring anyone to further his own ambitions.

"The gentle brother I knew was dead long before Zero got to him. He was killed by the empire, just like they killed my mother and stole Nunnally's sight and her legs."

Kallen was shocked, frightened even, by the intensity of Lelouch's glare.

"I loathe them. I despise them. I doubt even Zero himself hates Britannia and the royal family more than I do."

Kallen felt as if she was seeing Lelouch for the first time as she observed the raw fury in his eyes. Far from the docile, lazy boy she had always believed him to be, Lelouch was dangerous. She finally understood why Zero wanted him on their side, but now she wondered if the Black Knight's leader had unleashed something beyond even his control.

"And Euphemia? What about her?" she pressed. If he hated the royals that much, how could he work with the princess on anything?

Lelouch's eyes suddenly widened and all of the anger disappeared from his countenance as his he was awakened from a spell.

"Euphie … Nunnally and I were always very close to her. As far as I can tell, she's still the sweet little girl I used to love."

Kallen's eyes narrowed. That was not at all what she had expected.

_Euphie._ She had never heard Lelouch use an affectionate nickname for anyone before, not even Nunnally. And there was his use of the word 'love,' which he had not used when talking about Clovis.

"I'm helping you because it's in my interests. Nunnally and I had no future but a life in hiding or as political tools of the empire. Zero is offering us a chance for something more. But my chief concern is Nunnally. I will do anything to protect her, whether it be fighting my other siblings or fighting Zero himself."

Kallen stared at him for several seconds.

"I understand," she said at last. "I had to know where you stood."

* * *

Cornelia was restless as she sat down to watch the ceremony.

"Don't be so nervous," her brother Schneizel said.

She glanced at the smaller screen which showed the prime minister's face. Schneizel was also watching the stream, though from half a world away.

"I don't like surprises," Cornelia said.

"I, on the other hand, find them quite exciting. I've been very curious as to what Zero's next move would be."

* * *

Milly, Nina, Shirley, and Rivalz were gathered around a television in the student council office.

Between Nina's obsession with Princess Euphemia and the presence of their fellow student council member Suzaku Kururugi on a worldwide broadcast there was no way they were going to miss this announcement.

"Hey, prez.," Rivalz asked, "do you think I could become a knight of honor too?"

Milly shook her head and grinned maliciously. "You'd have to distinguish yourself on the battlefield first."

"She's right," Shirley added. "You've got to be brave and heroic."

"In other words, everything Suzaku is and you're not," Milly finished.

Rivaltz collapsed, dejected. "At least you're not comparing me to Lelouch. The guy's never even around."

"But he does go out of his way to help people whenever he sees someone in trouble," Milly pointed out. "You remember when you told us how he ran off to help the people in that crashed truck?"

"Yeah, yeah. And he left me all on my own when he did it. Abandoning your friend isn't a very knightly thing to do."

He turned to Shirley. "Is that what you always liked about Lelouch? Is he your knight in shining armor?"

Shirley looked confused. "Um…"

"They're coming out!"

Shirley was saved from answering as they all leaned in close to the television. A large stage had been set up in front of a crowd of Japanese people who eagerly awaited what Zero and Euphemia had to announce.

Zero came out of a door on the left by himself, while Euphemia came out of a door on the right along with Suzaku.

"There's Suzaku!" Rivalz yelled. "Man, he's with the princess _and_ Zero. He's right in the thick of things."

Shirley frowned. She was the only one there who knew that Suzaku was not their only classmate on that stage.

Courage on the battlefield. Feats worthy of legend. Was Zero, was Lelouch really worthy of being a knight, she wondered.

* * *

Lelouch looked tense as they waited behind the door Zero had left through.

"Are you nervous?" Kallen asked.

"Of course," Lelouch answered. "What we're about to do cannot be undone."

* * *

Suzaku shifted uncomfortably as Zero stepped forward to speak first.

"People of Japan," the masked man called out to the crowd, "I am grateful that so many of you have chosen to support this endeavor to restore freedom to the land and its inhabitants."

He paused to allow the crowd to cheer. "This Specially Administrative Zone has the potential to become a beacon of hope, not only for Japan, but for oppressed peoples everywhere!"

"This place will be a model of coexistence which will welcome people of all nations, religions, and creeds, where none shall fear discrimination because of the circumstances of their birth.

"This includes Britannians," he added. "In this special zone, those Britannians who have chosen to live here will be a minority with no special privileges. We must not oppress them the way we have been oppressed. We must not give into temptation to seek revenge for the wrongs that have been done to us in the past. We must rise above that."

* * *

Ohgi, who stood in the back with Kallen, smiled and breathed a sigh or relief at Zero's words.

'Chigusa,' he thought. 'This will be a safe place for you.'

* * *

"We must never forget," Zero continued, "that the victims of Britannia's aggression are not limited to the Japanese. They are not even limited to the nations Britannia has conquered under foot."

"Many of Britannia's victims are Britannians themselves. Those who do not fit into the mold or oppose government policy.

He turned to Euphemia.

"All victims will be welcome here, whether they be Japanese, Britannian, or from anywhere else in this world."

Euphemia stepped forward.

"Thank you, Zero. What you have said is vital if we wish to make this world a gentler place. And it is near to my heart, for I have an important announcement to make.

"Seven years ago, a prince and princess of Britannia were caught in the middle of the war between my nation and Japan and presumed lost. They were just children, dear siblings of mine, and I have mourned them ever since."

She turned to the door Zero had appeared from.

Suzaku gasped as two figures appeared across from him.

* * *

"What the hell?" Milly asked softly.

"Hey! Rivalz yelled. "What in the world are they doing there?"

Shirley trembled. "But … but … "

* * *

Cornelia gripped the sides of her chair and gazed at the large screen with eyes wide open in shock.

"They're – they're…"

* * *

Two oceans away, Schneizel also stared at the screen with wide eyes. His expression was not of shock, but of fear.

"It can't be … "

* * *

Euphemia continued to speak. "After seven years, I am pleased to announce that my long-lost siblings have finally been found!"

Lelouch approached, pushing Nunnally's wheelchair. He stopped between Euphemia and Zero.

"Allow me to present Prince Lelouch vi Britannia and Princess Nunnally vi Britannia!"

* * *

"It can't be them, can it?" Rivaltz asked.

"It is," Milly said. She looked more worried than anyone in the student council had ever seen her before. "It's them."

* * *

Cornelia raised a trembling hand towards the screen.

"Lelouch … Nunnually … " she whispered. "You're _alive …. "_

* * *

A tall woman with long, light blue-grey hair looked up from the vegetables she was cutting and stared at the television in her new home in the special zone. She frowned as she stared at the newly revealed prince and princess.

"That boy," she said to herself, "I've seen him somewhere before."

* * *

"Lelouch, why?" Suzaku whispered. They were in hiding for a reason. Why would he deliberately reveal himself and Nunnally to the world now?

"Prince Lelouch has accepted the request of Zero and myself to help us manage this special zone," Euphemia explained.

She turned to Lelouch, who took a deep, nervous breath.

"As my sister has stated, Princess Nunnally and myself lived in Japan during the last war. We witnessed firsthand the devastation and suffering the war caused. We have lived here for the last seven years, during which we witnessed the brutal subjugation of the Japanese people.

"I am grateful to Princess Euphemia and to Zero for this chance to right some of the wrongs my country, my family, has committed."

* * *

"This is crazy!" Rivalz exclaimed. "This is nuts! This can't be real, can it? I'm dreaming. Someone tell me I'm dreaming!"

'I don't understand,' Shirley thought. 'I thought Lelouch was Zero. But Zero was right there the whole time! Was I wrong? But why would I have written that letter then?'

* * *

Euphemia was beaming with joy as she walked up to Lelouch and embraced him.

She then knelt down in front of Nunnally and kissed her little sister on the forehead.


	6. Chapter 6

Nagisa Chiba almost gagged in disgust as she watched Euphemia embrace her siblings. She walked up to the monitor and turned it off.

"You were right to withdraw from the Black Knights, Colonel," she said, turning to her leader and the other members of the Four Holy Swords. "Zero's just exchanging one Britannian overlord for another."

"You son of a bitch," Kyoshiro Tohdoh said under his breath, seemingly oblivious to Chiba's comments.

"Colonel?"

"I'm sorry," Todoh said, coming back to himself. "I'm just surprised to see those two alive."

"You know them, sir?" Shōgo Asahina asked.

Todoh nodded. "I met them a couple of times as children. They were … guests of Prime Minister Kururugi before the war."

Kōsetsu Urabe rubbed his chin in thought. "That is interesting. What do you know about this prince Lelouch?"

Todoh sighed. "If I had known he was still alive, he would have been number one on my list of suspects for Zero's true identity. He was brilliant, and he has as much reason to hate Britannia as any of us."

"Well, I for one and glad to know that Zero is _not_ a Britannian prince," Chiba spat. "I could never take orders from someone like that."

"What do you think, Colonel?" Ryōga Senba asked.

Todoh grinned. "I think I know what Zero is trying to do."

* * *

"Put our best men on this," Schneizel instructed. "I want to know how they survived, where they've been, how we never found them, and how Zero got to them before we did."

"At once, your highness," Kanon replied.

Cornelia frowned as she watched her older brother's reaction on the small screen in front of her. Outwardly the Second Prince seemed completely calm. Even the tone with which he spoke was neutral. But she could sense that deep down, he was more troubled than she had seen him in a long time.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "This is wonderful news! Our younger siblings are still alive!"

Schneizel turned to his monitor. "You think in military terms, so you don't see what has happened here."

"I see a brother and sister I thought lost returned to us. I see Euphie happier than she's been in years. What else is there to see?" she Cornelia demanded.

"That's where you're wrong," Scheizel said. "Lelouch and Nunnally have not returned to us. This is Zero's retaliation for our splitting up the Black Knights. He's responded by splitting the royal family!"

"What?"

"Father banished them right after their mother was killed. That resentment has festered for eight years, and it's fertile ground for someone like Zero to come and turn them against their homeland."

"You don't think –" Cornelia started.

"If we had found them first, we might have been able to smooth things over with them. But now one of our own princes is publicly opposing Britannian policy, and two princesses are standing by him as he does so. This is a political nightmare."

"You think Lelouch is dangerous to us," she observed.

"He was the only sibling who ever made me work for a victory in chess, and that was when he was just nine years old. If he's progressed at the same rate, then the Black Knights now have two geniuses at their disposal."

"And what about Nunnally and Euphie?"

"The fact that Nunnally is still alive means Lelouch has been caring for her all this time. They must be at least as close as before, if not closer. Nunnally could be useful both against Lelouch and as a way of humanizing Britannia."

Cornelia's eyes narrowed. "We only just found out they're alive a few minutes ago and you're already thinking of ways to use Nunnally?"

"We have to be prepared, even to fight our own siblings."

"Are you going to ask me to fight against Euphie as well?"

Scheizel's expression finally changed as his eyes narrowed as well. "Zero just gave Euphie back two siblings she loved. He has bought her loyalty. She, Lelouch, and Nunnally will all be on Zero's side now."

Cornelia's mouth hung open as she searched for a retort, but she had none.

"Then we don't fight them," she said at last. "We work with them. We don't give Zero any excuses to resume violence against us. I'm not fighting three of my siblings."

Schneizel nodded. "I agree. With Diethard Ried as his media link Zero will have near-total control over the narrative surrounding Lelouch and Nunnally's reappearance. Politically, we cannot afford a confrontation at this point."

Cornelia's monitor went black as Schneizel ended the transmission, and she sighed.

Cornelia was considered the greatest military general of her generation, at least before Zero had shown up with all of his miracles. But she did not have the aptitude for politics Schneizel had that allowed him to grasp the implications of this announcement instantly. Nor, it seemed, would she be able to match Zero in the political arena.

'I can't let this get to me,' she thought. 'No matter what Schneizel says, having my little brother and sister back is wonderful. I'm Zero's foe, but I'm not their's, just like I'm not Euphie's foe.'

* * *

Suzaku waited outside of Euphemia's office as Zero approached. He was not happy.

"Is there something wrong, Sir Kururugi?" the masked man asked.

"Zero," Suzaku spat, "I'll ask you once again: what game are you playing?"

"The game of politics," Zero replied. "It's a lot less bloody than war, though in its own way it's even nastier."

"You're just using them!" Suzaku yelled. "Lelouch, Nunnally, Euphie! You're using them all!"

The mask leaned slightly to the side. "I admit that I am using Lelouch for my own ends. He is well aware of it. But as for your princess, it would be more accurate to say that she is the one using me."

He walked past Suzaku and began to open the door to Euphemia's office. "If you'll excuse me."

Euphemia looked up from her desk and smiled as Zero entered. He took a seat at the opposite side of the desk and removed his mask.

"That went well," she observed.

"Indeed," Lelouch agreed.

"I still don't understand why you had to go through all that. Even staging your own kidnapping."

"If Zero just came here and was around the special zone all the time Britannia would discover my identity very easily," Lelouch explained. "This way I put myself above suspicion. And when they discover the kidnapping any possible accusations that I'm a traitor who was helping the Black Knights all along will disappear."

"In my first battle I realized that an ID signal can be a double-edged sword," he continued. "The same principle applies here. My identity is my greatest weakness. If it became known that I was Zero I'd not only lose what's left of the Black Knights, but the entire special zone would collapse and things would be worse than before."

"But my identity can also be a useful weapon if used in the correct manner. Since Britannia can't just come and ship us out of the special zone, I can make use of it. I'm sure Schneizel has figured out how I've weaponized it, but those uses are all secondary to protecting my identity as Zero."

"Who else knows the truth?" Euphemia asked. "That girl you had in your costume must know."

Lelouch nodded. "She does. The only others who know are Taizo Kirihara, the highest ranked Japanese man in the special zone, and Sayoko Shinozaki, the person I've assigned to protect Nunnally. Including the two of us, that's a total of five people."

"So … Suzaku and Nunnally both don't know."

Lelouch looked down. "There have been times when I wanted to tell them both, but Nunnally already worries so much about me I couldn't tell her how much danger I was getting myself into. And Suzaku … he hates Zero."

"When are you going to talk to him as Lelouch?"

"I don't know. I'd like to so it now, but I have no idea when I'll have the time."

"That's another issue," she observed. "You're taking on two full-time jobs at the same time. Are you sure you're up to this?"

"I have to be."

Zero was now the Chief of Staff of the special zone, a position technically below Euphemia's position as Chief Administrator, but equal in practice. Lelouch, on the other hand, was Secretary of the Treasury, below them both in both theory and practice, but with responsibility for the finances and economy of the entire special zone. Fulfilling both roles would be a tall order even for him.

Euphemia sighed. "I didn't think things would be so … complicated."

"That's politics. People don't change just because you want them to. Britannia and Zero can't just become buddy-buddy and forget the past."

Lelouch grimaced as the late afternoon sun began to shine through the window, reflecting of a spec of dirt which was stuck to his contact lens.

He removed the lens and wiped it with his cape.

"I don't know how anyone can stand to wear these things," he complained after putting the lens back in. They're so much more annoying than glasses."

Euphemia put her hand to her chin and looked at Lelouch with a mixture of horror on concern. "Lelouch, your eye."

The glowing bird symbol gave his left eye a permanent demonic appearance. It was to her credit that Euphemia did not recoil at the sight.

"You already know about my power. That's it. My Geass."

"And … how did you get this power, this Geass?"

Lelouch leaned back in his chair. "That is a long story. It starts with the human experimentation project Clovis was running."

"Human experimentation?"

He nodded. "My … accomplice was Clovis and Bartley's test subject."

"Bartley …" Euphemia frowned, a terrible thought occurring to her.

General Bartley had faced life imprisonment for his failure to protect Prince Clovis. But Schneizel had plucked the disgraced general and made him one of his closest advisers. As prime minister, he could issue pardons 'for the national interest.' He even referenced Bartley's usefulness to Clovis in complimenting his current usefulness.

"Tell me everything, Lelouch."

Her stomach churned as she listened to the account of how and why her older brother had ordered the extermination of the entire Shinjuku Ghetto.

Euphemia knew what a monstrous crime Clovis had committed that day. But she still wanted desperately to believe in her brother. She had clung to the cover story that the terrorists had stolen poison gas, necessitating drastic measures. But she could not reconcile this account with her image of Clovis.

Clovis la Britannia committed one crime against humanity in order to cover up another crime against humanity.

And if Bartley's involvement with Schneizel was of a similar nature to his involvement with Clovis, then those experiments might still be going on.

"How could Clovis do those things?" she asked. "Why would he do that?"

"Because he was part of the royal family, our family."

"Even so, he was still your brother. And you killed him. Did you really not feel anything? Didn't you mourn him?"

"I threw up afterwards. But I watched his royal guard shoot Suzaku, kill children, and try to kill me, all on Clovis' orders. So no, I did not mourn him."

Euphemia stared at him. She had expected some sign of remorse or regret from Lelouch for having committed fratricide, but he seemed so nonchalant about it, as if the justice of the action completely negated his relationship with the man he killed.

At that moment Euphemia came to a decision.

Lelouch was being completely open with her. He was revealing secrets he had not shared with his closest confidants in the Black Knights, with Suzaku, or even with Nunnally. He was placing complete trust in her.

But she could not do the same. She could not share the concerns she now had about Schneizel and Bartley. She could not risk inciting Lelouch's wrath against any of their other siblings. She could not take the chance that Zero and the Black Knights would break the peace she had worked so hard to forge if they had an inkling that Clovis' crimes were still being carried out.

If she was going to find out the truth about what Schneizel and Bartley were doing, she would have to do it on her own.

* * *

Milly put on a cheerful smile and waved at several underclassmen as she made her way through the school hallways. But when she reached her destination, she looked down, closed her eyes, and took a deep, nervous breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in."

She opened the door. The school principle, Reuben Ashford, her grandfather, sat behind his desk. He was busy with administrative work, seemingly oblivious to the way their world had just changed.

"Ah, Milly. What can I do for you?"

"Um, you saw the big announcement from the special zone, right?" she asked.

"Yes. The whole world saw it."

"Are Lelouch and Nunnally gonna be ok?"

"Lelouch informed me this was going to be happening. He assured me that the empire can't get to them in the special zone."

Milly frowned. It was good that Lelouch had consulted with his primary benefactor before ending his years in hiding. But he had not consulted her, one of his oldest friends who knew his true identity.

"And what about us?" she asked. "When the empire learns we've been hiding them, they'll come down on us."

"We don't believe they will, thanks to you."

"To me?" Milly asked in surprise.

"You are currently betrothed to Earl Asplund. The success of the Lancelot unit he designed has put him in very good standing with Prime Minister Schneizel. The empire is not about to take action against his fiancée's family."

"I see."

Milly looked down again. It was true that she had accepted Lloyd's marriage proposal, largely due to the pressure her family had put on her. It was also true that the eccentric scientist had a special interest in protecting the Ashford family: maintaining his access to the family's past scientific achievements.

However, a part of her had still hoped that she could find some way to pull out of her engagement. It was a political marriage through and through. But now, going through with it would be the only way to keep her family safe.

The moment the ceremony ended, Milly had left and shut herself in her room. For the first time in her life she dreaded the gossip which was sure to flood the school. The realization that a prince and princess had been attending Ashford would be the talk of the town even if half the female population had not already been into Lelouch. And she did not want to deal with any of the thousands of questions which would be put to her on the subject.

Even if they avoided the most severe political repercussions thanks to her engagement to Lloyd Asplund, Ashford Academy would still come under more intense public scrutiny than she was prepared for.

"Why would Lelouch do this?" she wondered.

"The way he explained it to me, his secret was found out," her grandfather answered. "Both the Black Knights and Princess Euphemia discovered him and Nunnally. So he decided hiding was no longer an option."

Milly closed her eyes. "Tell me something, grandfather. Did I just lose my friend?"

Reuben stood up. At his age he was not as tall as he used to be, and was now slightly shorter than Milly. He walked around the desk and embraced his granddaughter in a hug.

"You know that nothing stays the same forever, Milly. Not even friendships. If you don't want your friendship with them to end, then you have to put in the work to keep it alive. You knew they were royalty from the start, and you didn't treat them any differently because of it. That will only change if you let it."

Milly hugged him back.

"Thank you, grandfather."

* * *

Oghi got back late.

As Zero's deputy chief of staff in the special zone, he was entitled to one of the nicer apartments already prepared, but the position required him to work long hours.

He found his companion - Chigusa, he had begun to call her – in the kitchen preparing a stew. She looked lost in thought.

"I'm home."

"Oh!" she said, startled. "Good timing. I was just finishing up dinner."

Something was off, Ohgi realized. Chigusa was not her usual cheery self.

"Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing," she said.

"Come on, you know you can tell me anything," he insisted. "What's bugging you?"

She glanced towards the living room where the television was. "It's just … the prince from the ceremony. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before."

"You have," Ohgi said.

She looked at him in surprise.

"How would you know something like that?" she asked.

"We both saw him during the festival at Ashford Academy. He was one of the students who was in the warehouse when all that craziness happened. He's Kallen's classmate."

She looked down at the pot and resumed stirring the stew. He eyes narrowed as she considered what Ohgi had said.

"I guess that's it."

But there was still something about the prince which made her skin crawl.


	7. Chapter 7

It was a rare occurrence for anyone to see Prince Schneizel angry.

Suzaku had only met the Prime Minister of Britannia a few times, but he had been calm and friendly each time, and island of serenity compared to the boiling anger of his younger siblings Cornelia and, to a lesser extent, Lelouch.

The former eleven-turned royal knight was not foolish enough to believe that Schneizel never got angry. Even Euphemia could lose her temper from time to time. But a man like the Second Prince would never show such emotions or allow them to impede his judgement.

Which was why it was so disturbing that Scheizel was not even trying to hide his anger at Suzaku now as he stared at the knight through their monitors.

"I hope you have a good explanation, Suzaku Kururugi," he said.

"Our investigation has revealed that Lelouch and Nunnally attended Ashford Academy, the same school as you. Moreover, you and Lelouch served on the student council together."

Behind Suzaku, Euphemia gulped. Suzaku stood motionless, waiting for Schneizel to finish.

"As they lived with you for a year, you could not possibly have failed to recognize them. Or have I significantly overestimated your powers of observation?"

"You have not, your highness," Suzaku admitted. "I knew they were at Ashford Academy since the day I transferred there."

"And why did you, who swore your loyalty to Britannia, hide the existence of two royals from us? You even kept this from Euphemia, whom you swore to serve as long as you live."

"It is true that I swore my loyalty to Britannia and to Princess Euphemia," Suzaku said, "but I am also loyal to my friends. I owe Lelouch my life."

Schneizel raised an eyebrow. "You also owe Zero your life. Would you protect his secrets just as readily?"

"Zero saved me when I was falsely accused of Prince Clovis' murder," Suzaku explained, "but he did so for his own ends. It was the same during the battle for Kyushu. Lelouch kept me and Nunnally alive for weeks during the war."

He heard Euphemia gasp. "If it wasn't for Lelouch, I would have starved to death or died from exposure. And when I joined the school and was shunned and bullied for being an eleven, Lelouch put himself out there to ensure I'd be able to fit in, knowing the questions his being friends with me would raise."

"I'll accept whatever punishment you impose on me," he declared, "but I could not betray Lelouch's trust or his secret after all that."

Schneizel sighed and allowed his features to mellow, causing all traces of anger to disappear.

"I thank you for your honesty, Sir Kururugi. In the end, I am glad Lelouch, Nunnally, and Euphemia have a friend like you."

Suzaku bowed. "I thank you, your highness."

Schneizel turned off the monitor and stood up.

His aide, Kanon, seemed confused at his actions. "Are you really just going to let Kururugi get away with this?"

Schneizel gave him a quizzical look. "What would I gain by further antagonizing Lelouch as well as Euphemia and Nunnally by taking action against their friend?"

"Then why put on this show of anger?"

Schneizel glanced down at the black screen. "I saw an opportunity to learn a little more about the kind of person my little brother has become. Kururugi's answers were indeed most enlightening."

* * *

Lelouch opened the door to the meeting room. He was carrying a large stack of documents

"You're late," the voice of Zero said.

"Sorry." Lelouch set the papers on the table and took his seat. He looked around the table.

He was seated across from Zero. To his right sat Ohgi and Tamaki from the Black Knights, while to his left sat Taizo Kirihara, the former patron of the Black Knights and the second-highest ranked Japanese official in the special zone after Ohgi.

Lelouch glanced at Kirihara, whose eyes darted back and forth between the prince and Zero for an instant.

Perhaps more than anyone else, including Euphemia, Kirihara knew how important it was that Zero's true identity remain hidden. To maintain the facade, Lelouch and Zero would have to continue meeting in the same place at the same time.

"I've gone over the budget the Britannian government allocated for the special zone," Lelouch began.

"And?" Zero asked.

"It seems that you were right. Britannia does not seem to be interested in seeing this place truly succeed. The funds they provided are barely enough to keep the zone functional."

"Then what's the point?" Tamaki asked. "Why are we even here?"

"Japanese people do not face discrimination and don't have to fear being beaten on the street or arbitrarily arrested within the boundaries of the special zone," Lelouch explained. "But with this budget, we will be unable to build much of an economy and the people will remain dependent on Britannia for employment."

Ohgi looked at Zero. "The Black Knights agreed to join the special zone in order to build an independent Japan from the ground up. That's what you said."

Lelouch shook his head. "Well, there's no money for any of the development projects Zero and Euphemia want to build. Not for the renovated residential district, and not for the schools."

"All of this was expected," Zero said. "I brought you in to find solutions to this problem."

"I have a solution," Lelouch declared.

He glanced at Kirihara again. "If we cannot rely on government funding, we must instead turn to private funding."

Kirihara grumbled. "Impossible. There are no Japanese construction companies left, and no Britannian construction company would accept work on behalf of a Japanese client based on designs by a Japanese architect. They'd never work again."

Lelouch smiled. "But they'd have no chance but to accept the job if it was on behalf of a prince of Britannia."

Kirihara glared at Lelouch. "There's no way you have that kind of money, not after living in hiding for seven years."

"That's true. I don't have the money right now. But you do, Lord Kirihara."

The old man chuckled. "You want me to just give you a fortune so you can finance the special zone?"

"Not exactly. I want you and the other heads of the NAC to loan me the money. When the construction starts to see a return on investment I can begin to pay you back with interest."

"And then any further profits would go directly to you," Zero observed.

"Hold it!" Tamaki yelled. He stood up and banged his fist on the table.

"Are you trying to get rich off of our people?" he demanded, pointing an accusing finger at Lelouch. "I knew we shouldn't have put you in charge of the cash!"

"I'm making the only suggestion which I believe will solve our current financial crisis," Lelouch said angrily.

Lelouch had expected this. Tamaki was naturally inclined to distrust Britannians, and he resented Lelouch for being given the position he himself had wanted.

"Look, any profits can be put aside in an emergency fund for the special zone. With this budget we've been given we're going to need such a fund as well. I won't see a penny beyond my salary."

Zero turned to Kirihara. "What are your thoughts on this proposal?"

Kirihara smiled. "It seems to cover all the issues at hand, and I agree on the need for an emergency fund."

Zero turned to his deputy. "Ohgi?"

"Um, economics isn't my strong suite," Ohgi said. "But if Lord Kirihara believes it will work then I'm in favor."

"Tamaki?"

Tamaki sulked in his chair. "Yeah, fine. Whatever."

"Then it's decided," Zero declared. "We will adopt your plan to privately finance construction in the Specially Administrated Zone."

"Thank you," Lelouch said.

"I am expecting results from this," the masked man warned.

* * *

Milly, Rivalz, Shirley, and Nina stood and watched as Lelouch and Nunally's belongings were moved out of the student council building.

The movers were Britannian. Milly would have been surprised is none of them were in fact spies for the royal family.

Reuben Ashford had shielded them from the investigation. His truthful claim that Lelouch's true identity had been a secret even to his friends on the student council meant there was no reason to interrogate any of the students. The principle had faced hours of grilling, but he told the truth about everything he knew, leaving the government no grounds to pursue the matter further.

But that did not change the fact that all of their lives had suddenly changed. News crews were stationed just off campus on a permanent basis now, bringing them back to the days when the female council members were stuck on campus following the hotel-jacking. Between Lelouch and Nunnally, Suzaku, and Euphemia's choosing the school as the site to make her announcement about the special zone Ashford Academy was now drawing reporters like moths to a flame.

At least Kallen was safe from all the craziness, having been home sick the whole time. Milly had spoken to her once since the announcement, where Kallen nervously admitted to having slapped Lelouch once and asked if she'd be in trouble for assaulting a prince.

Milly grinned at the memory. Of course Lelouch would never hold something like that against Kallen.

She glanced down at Shirley. The poor girl was taking these new developments harder than anyone else. She had acted more nervous than even Nina since Lelouch shocked them all by appearing on stage next to Euphemia and Zero.

"It's all right," Milly said. Shirley looked up at her president in confusion.

"This doesn't change anything," Milly assured her. "Even if he's a prince, he's still the same guy you fell in love with."

Shirley looked away. "Right," she said.

* * *

"Isn't it wonderful?" Lloyd Asplund asked happily.

Cecille Croomy looked up from her computer. "What?"

"Now that we're free of that school, we can keep Lancelot with us at all times!" the white-haired scientist declared cheerfully.

"You'll also have fewer opportunities to see your fiancee or the Ganymede," Cecille pointed out.

"There'll be plenty of time for that. Plus, with the conflict over we'll have all the time in the world to upgrade the Lancelot!"

"I am glad that Suzaku won't have to fight again anytime soon," Cecille admitted.

"That's something we can all agree on," a young voice said.

Lloyd and Cecille turned to the entrance of their workshop.

Cecille's eyes widened and she shot out of her seat to bow to the newcomer.

"Your highness! Forgive me, I didn't see you there!"

"Just Lelouch is fine. I haven't been called 'your highness' or been bowed to since I was nine."

The young prince stepped forward. "So this is Lloyd Asplund and Cecille Croomy, the developers of the Lancelot."

"Guilty as charged!" Lloyd said excitedly. "So, what can we do for you, my lord?"

Lelouch gave him a knowing smile. "I hear you're interested in the Ganymede my mother piloted."

"You have good ears," Lloyd replied.

"Might I enquire as to what you have in mind?"

"I don't see why not." Lloyd opened a cabinet at his desk and pulled out several blueprints and plans.

While he gathered the documents, Cecille approached Lelouch.

"Um, Prince Lelouch?" she asked nervously.

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to apologize again for hitting you with that mallet at the school festival. The handle just broke and - "

"Forget about it," Lelouch said as Lloyd handed him the plans. Almost instantly his expression changed to one of intense interest as his eyes darted over the figures and diagrams.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Cecille asked.

"You may, though I may choose not to answer," Lelouch replied, not taking his eyes off the papers in front of him.

"When Suzaku started at Ashford, he said he met an old friend who smoothed everything out and stopped the bullying he faced. Was that you?"

Lelouch seemed to freeze in place as his attention suddenly shifted away from the Ganymede plans in front of him.

"It was."

Cecille smiled. "Thank you. I was very worried about Suzaku attending a Britannian school. It was such a relief when I found out he had a friend helping him through the transition."

Lelouch smiled. "I also worry about him. It's a relief for me that there's someone in the Britannian military looking out for him."

Lelouch folded the papers and handed them back to Lloyd. "I'd like to commission you to develop a personal knightmare frame for me."

Lloyd took the papers back. "Based on these designs?"

"Mostly," Lelouch said with a serious expression. "I have a few modifications of my own I'd like to see implemented."

"Oh? What sort of modifications?"

Lelouch opened his mouth to explain when the door opened.

"I'm back, Lloyd, Miss Cecille … " Suzaku began. He stopped when he saw Lelouch standing in front of them.

"Lelouch … " he whispered in surprise.

"Great timing!" Lloyd exclaimed. "The prince here was just - "

Cecille grabbed Lloyd's arm and began to drag him away.

"Hey!" Lloyd protested. "What did I say?"

"It was nice meeting you, your highness!" Cecille called out as she pulled Lloyd out of the room, leaving Lelouch and Suzaku alone.

The two old friends stood several feet apart for several awkward seconds.

"I did tell her not to call me 'your highness,'" Lelouch said at last.

Suzaku smiled. "I'm afraid you're just going to have to get used to that. People don't act the same around royalty."

"I'm sorry. I meant to talk to you before now, but with everything that's been going on there hasn't been time," Lelouch said.

"That's all right. I've been very busy myself. You did give me quite a shock though."

Suzaku's expression turned grave. "Are you really ok with this? You and Nunnally were in hiding for a reason."

"It was no longer an option," Lelouch explained.

"How's Nunnally taking all these changes?"

"About as well as can be expected. She misses her friends and the structure the school provided, but she's thrilled to be reunited with Euphie and that we're no longer hiding our true identities. We're hoping to be able to transfer her to one of the new schools when they're finished."

"I see. And how are you adapting?"

Lelouch smiled. "It's nice to actually do something for once. I did find school stifling."

"You're not going to be able to skip meetings the way you would cut class."

"Well, maybe once the Black Knights start to trust me I'll be able to get away with skipping a few here and there."

Suzaku laughed, but then his expression turned serious again. "Does that include Kallen? It was almost as big a shock for me to find out she was in the Black Knights as it was to see you and Nunnally on that stage."

"That didn't surprise me."

"You knew?" Suzaku shook his head. "What am I saying? Of course you knew."

Lelouch sighed. "Kallen's … unsure how she feels about all this. She wasn't exactly my biggest fan before learning I'm the son of the man who subjugated Japan."

"Do you want me to try to talk to her?"

Lelouch shook his head. "She understands my feelings on Britannia versus Japan. She has to get over her prejudices on her own."

Suzaku nodded sagely. "Did you happen to notice someone else we both know in the Black Knights?"

Lelouch looked genuinely surprised. "Who?"

"The green-haired girl from the capsule in Shinjuku. I've seen her. She's working very closely with Zero."

Lelouch looked down in thought. "I see. At least now we know she survived."

"Is something wrong?" Suzaku asked as he observed the way Lelouch's brow furrowed.

"Just thinking: if the two of them are working together, that may explain a lot about Zero."

"What do you mean?"

Lelouch looked up at him. "Think about it. Clovis was experimenting on that girl. We accidentally help free her, and the same day Zero kills Clovis. It's probably not a coincidence."

"You're saying they knew each other before Shinjuku?"

"It's possible. But I do think it likely that Zero would not have killed Clovis without her involvement."

Suzaku frowned. "If they were friends beforehand, Zero would have been enraged at what was done to his friend."

"It may be more than that. What if that girl wasn't the only person Clovis was experimenting on?"

Suzaku's eyes widened in horror. "You don't mean - "

"It's just speculation," Lelouch admitted. "But it might explain why Zero hates Britannia that much and why he never shows his face even to the Black Knights. It would certainly explain why those two would work together."

"It's scary how well this theory lines up with what I already know about Zero," Suzaku said.

"Don't take it too seriously," Lelouch assured him. "It's also possible that she just decided to go to the Black Knights to get her own revenge after Zero's debut. I'm just speculating based on your statement that they're working closely together."

"I just never thought I'd feel sorry for Zero of all people," Suzaku said.

Lelouch looked over the equipment in the lab. "The success of this special zone is going to be dependent on everything keeping an open mind."


	8. Chapter 8

Fredrick Robinson sat down at the bench across the street from the Specially Administrated Zone headquarters and took out his phone.

He turned to the side when an elderly Japanese man sat down next to him and pulled out a newspaper.

_The Japan Times_ was one of several Japanese-run newspapers which had just begun circulation in the special zone and was unique in that it was published in English and not Japanese. There were enough English-speaking Japanese people in addition to Britannians in the special zone to support such a newspaper.

Fredrick stared with interest at the page the old man opened to. At the top of the page was a picture of Prince Lelouch standing with a well-dressed Japanese man at the groundbreaking ceremony for a major construction site. The article was a combination of a description of the planned financial complex as well as a profile of the man, Uryu Honda, the architect personally chosen by the prince to oversee that particular project.

A loud commotion began across the street. Fredrick looked up to see a figure in a black cloak and mask stepping out of the headquarters' main entrance.

Fredrick rose and crossed the street.

"Target has left the building," he said into his earpiece. "Beginning pursuit."

A small crowd of Japanese people had already gathered around Zero. Some were screaming that he was their savior. Some just wanted to touch his cape.

Zero had one security guard with him, the red-headed woman who had been seen at his first public appearance as well as the Black Knights' debut. She still wore the uniform and visor of the black knights to hide her identity.

"Target is accompanied by female guard," Fredrick said softly. His superiors wanted to know which bodyguard Zero would use. He alternated between the red-head and a dark haired male who also kept his face hidden.

The red-head attempted to keep the crowd from getting too close, but Zero motioned to her to stop and let a young mother and her infant approach. She was disheveled and almost frantic.

Fredrick slipped into the growing crowd as Zero listened to the woman's pleas.

"Master Zero, we are so grateful for everything you've done for us," the woman began.

"What's wrong?" Zero asked.

"The home we were given here in the special zone – it has power only a couple of hours a day and the gas heaters don't work. My mother is elderly, and my child is so small. They need to keep warm, but we can't do it with no power."

"You are right," Zero declared. "We stand in the shadow of Mount Fuji, the world's largest reservoir of sakuradite. It is a travesty that any home here should be without power. We are doing everything in our power to resolve this issue."

When he was done speaking to the crowd, Zero and his guard began to move on. Fredrick stayed hidden in the part of the crowd that followed them.

"Target has turned southeast," he said into his earpiece.

The crowd was beginning to thin. Fredrick backed off a little. It would soon be obvious that he was a tail if he kept too close.

Zero turned into an alleyway. Fredrick stopped and counted to five, not wanting to give away his presence too soon.

He turned and gaped.

"Impossible."

The alley was deserted. There were no doorways or sewer grates for Zero to have slipped into, and the alley was too long for him to have gotten out of it already. But he and his guard were gone nonetheless.

"This is Fredrick. I, um, lost sight of the target."

* * *

Milly opened the door slowly.

"Well, come in."

They entered slowly, nervously. After Milly was Nina, then Rivalz, Kallen, and finally Shirley.

The Ashford Academy student council stood silently. In front of them were their friends, people they shared many memories and laughs with. And yet none of them knew what to say.

Lelouch, Nunnally, and Euphemia were all seated together at one side of a large round table. Suzaku stood next to Euphemia.

Euphemia smiled at them. "Please, take a seat."

One by one they sat down.

"Hello," Nunnally said warmly, breaking the awkward silence. "It's wonderful to see everyone again."

"It's good to see you too," Milly said, struggling to smile.

"So you're Lelouch and Nunnally's friends from school," Euphemia observed.

Milly nodded. "Yeah."

"This must all have come as quite a shock to you."

"I'll say!" Rivalz exclaimed. "I still can't believe any of this! I mean, are you really a prince and princess?"

Lelouch chuckled. "Afraid so, Rivalz."

"Why didn't you tell us? I mean, none of us knew the truth."

Lelouch looked at Milly, who looked away.

"I did," Suzaku said.

"You did?" Rivalz asked.

"They lived with me before the war at the prime minister's residence," Suzaku explained, "so I recognized them when I joined Ashford."

"So _that's_ why you guys seemed so close. I always wondered about that."

"I knew as well," Milly said softly.

"Prez!" Rivalz screamed.

"My grandfather was a major backer of Empress Marianne," Milly explained. "I knew them when we were all little kids in Pendragon. When they came to the school grandfather decided to shelter them."

"I am very grateful to the Ashford family for looking after my siblings these last few years," Euphemia said.

Rivalz looked from Lelouch to Suzaku to Milly with his mouth wide open. "Why didn't anyone ever tell me?"

"It's called being in hiding," Lelouch said.

"Please forgive us," Nunnally said. "Big brother thought the fewer people who knew who we really were, the less likely it was we'd be used as political hostages again."

Rivalz turned to Milly. "You knew Lelouch was a prince, and you made him go through with all those events anyway?"

Milly grinned despite herself. "I sure did."

"What sort of events?" Euphemia asked.

"There was the cat festival, where we all dressed up as cats, the cross-dresser's ball …"

"Come again?" Euphemia said with a growing smile.

"Oh yes. Lelouch was quite an attractive lady. He made the rest of us a little insecure in our womanhood."

"Did he now?" Euphemia did not try to hide her laughter as she turned to Lelouch, who had turned a delicate shade of red.

Everyone laughed except Lelouch.

With the atmosphere less tense, Nina felt confident enough to speak. "So what changed? Why did you decide to come out of hiding?"

"The choice was basically made for us," Lelouch explained. "People were finding out. First Euphie, then Zero."

"I guess that explains it," Shirley said softly.

"Shirley?" Lelouch asked.

Shirley looked away nervously. "I mean, I just, when I saw you two talking at the school festival I couldn't understand why you'd be talking to Princess Euphemia."

"Now you know," Euhpemia declared. "We were long-lost siblings reuniting."

"It's funny," she added. "I knew Suzaku, of course, and I knew Nina and that they were classmates. But I had no idea my brother and sister went to the same school as them until I bumped into them at the festival. I was only there to talk to Suzaku."

"So, you're really not coming back?" Shirley asked.

"Afraid not," Lelouch said. "Now that everyone knows who we are we can't go back, even if I didn't have to run the whole economy here."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Rivalz said. "If you can keep our budget balanced with all of the prez's events, this'll be no problem."

Euphemia put her hand on her chin. "I don't know, a cross-dresser's ball for the special zone sounds like it could be fun."

"Absolutely not!" Lelouch said loudly.

He waited for the laughter to die down before continuing. "We can have festivals for the special zone, but only _after_ we've taken care of the essentials and stabilized the economy."

Lelouch looked at Milly. "Festivals and celebrations are important. I learned that from you."

Milly grinned. "Well, I'm glad my efforts weren't completely wasted on you."

"I still don't understand," Rivalz said. "If you're royalty, why were you in hiding?"

The atmosphere in the room grew tense against as Lelouch, Nunnally, and Euphemia all adopted serious expressions and Kallen's expression changed to one of worry.

"The emperor banished us after our mother was killed," Lelouch explained. "As Nunnally said, we were used as political hostages."

"Cornelia and I tried to arrange an audience with father to get him to change his mind," Euphemia said, "but he refused to see any of his heirs except for official state business until after Japan was conquered."

"Were – were you all close?" Nina asked.

Euphemia's smile returned. "We have so many half-siblings it's hard to be close to all of them. But since Cornelia was the head of Lady Marianne's security I visited them a lot."

She grinned at Nunnally. "Nunnally was actually reminding me of this fight we once got into over which one of us would marry Lelouch when we grew up."

Milly chuckled. "So Lelouch was a heartbreaker even then, huh?"

Euphemia turned to Lelouch and raised an eyebrow. "Now this I have to hear."

"Maybe some other time," Lelouch said, turning red again. "Like when Milly comes to visit her fiancé you can have a private girl talk and exchange gossip."

"I look forward to it," Euphemia said as she turned to address the group.

"You're all welcome to come back and visit anytime. Any friend of Lelouch, Nunnally, or Suzaku's is a friend of mine."

* * *

"That was very nice," Euphemia said.

"It was," Lelouch agreed, not looking up from his paperwork. "They can be a little over the top, but I've gotten used to it."

"The rest of us never really had the chance to develop normal friendships," Euphemia continued. "I'm glad you and Nunnally were at least able to do that."

Lelouch did not respond. His attention was now focused entirely on finding the funds to upgrade the electrical lines in the special zone to modern standards. He had already reached the limit of what he could borrow from the NAC.

"It's no good. I'd hoped the savings I've built up over the years would cover this, but I severely underestimated the extent of the problem."

"I think I can manage that," Euphema said.

Lelouch looked up at her.

"I was able to keep my personal fortune when I gave up my claim to the throne, so I think I can pay for the new electrical wiring. I certainly have more than you got from your gambling."

Lelouch looked back down at the papers. "Very well. At least we won't have to go to Cornelia or Schneizel and ask for a slightly bigger budget."

Euphemia grinned. "So, what's going on between you and the red-head?"

Lelouch froze. "Which one?"

"The one who actually spoke. I think her name was Shirley."

Lelouch sat back in his chair and put his hand over his eyes.

"I think she really likes you. It seemed like she was jealous when she talked about how she saw us talking at the school."

"Please stop," Lelouch said in a tone she had never heard from him before.

"Lelouch, what's wrong?" Euphemia asked.

Lelouch lowered his hand, and Euphemia was shocked by his expression. It was haunted.

He took several deep breaths as he considered what to say.

"I killed her father."

There was no gasp from Euphemia this time. She kept silent and steeled her expression, forcing Lelouch to continue.

"It was at Narita. He was in the city when I triggered the landslide and was buried alive."

"So he was a soldier," Euphemia observed.

"No. He was a civilian. And I killed him."

Euphemia looked away so that Lelouch would not see her sigh of relief. As horrible as what he was telling her was, this was what she had been looking for and feared she would never find in her brother. Unlike when he discussed the killing of Clovis, here Lelouch was expressing actual guilt and remorse for his actions.

He was still human after all.

"That doesn't make any sense," she said at last.

Lelouch titled his head to show his confusion.

"We evacuated all the civilians from Narita before the battle. They were kept near the G-1. I was there."

"I knew that," Lelouch said angrily. "It doesn't change anything. I should have expected the evacuation to not be total. As the leader, the responsibility for any civilian casualties is mine alone."

He shook, on the verge of tears.

"And because of what happened to her father, Shirley got dragged into this. My enemies used her to get to me. I had to – I had to erase all of her memories of me to keep her safe."

Euphemia gaped in horror.

'I get it now,' she thought.

"You really do care for her," she said softly.

'If she's falling for him again even without her memories, then his efforts to protect her are failing, and it's a reminder of what he had to give up, the life that could have been.'

She knelt down and hugged him. "Oh Lelouch."

"This is why you really agreed to work with me in the special zone, isn't it? You didn't want what happened at Narita to happen again."

Lelouch buried his head in her shoulder. "So many people have been counting on me to have all the answers, to know exactly how to respond. But I don't. I still don't know if this was the right choice."

Euphemia smiled at him. "I never know if I'm making the right choice. Whether it was choosing Suzaku as my knight or setting up the special zone. I act impulsively. I don't think things through. But when I finally understood what it was I really wanted and how far I was willing to go to get it, I stopped worrying about that."

"And what is it you want?" Lelouch asked.

"For everyone I loved before and love now to be happy."

* * *

"I'm afraid we've made no progress in monitoring Zero, your highness," Andreas Dalton admitted.

The Viceroy was not pleased. "Explain this to me. How do you lose a man in a mask and a cape?"

"We don't know. All of the agents we've had tailing Zero have lost him between five and ten minutes. Moreover, he never takes the same route twice. We've seen him go in eight different directions upon leaving the special zone headquarters at the end of the day. So we have no way of tracking where he's living in the special zone."

"This would be so much simpler if he just accepted our offer of a house near Euphie's and Lelouch's," Cornelia said. "Much as I hated having to make that offer in the first place."

"He's far too smart for that. He knows we'd have put hidden cameras to spy on him. I've been growing more and more impressed with the man."

"How so?"

"By coming and going in his mask, he not only prevents us from being able to narrow down his identity to those who enter and leave the headquarters, but he's able to speak with many of the ele-excuse me, Japanese people and gauge the mood on the street. He accomplishes multiple things at once," Dalton said, not bothering to hide his admiration for Zero's cunning.

"What are your recommendations?"

"The only thing I can recommend is that we continue our surveillance. It's not likely, but there's always the chance that he'll eventually grow complacent or make a mistake."

"Very well. As long as there's peace we can't do more. And how is Euphie doing?"

"She met some of Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally's friends from school today and really seemed to enjoy it. All three of them are surprisingly popular in the special zone. Diethard Ried's been maintaining public sympathy for your half-siblings, and nearly everyone is extremely grateful to Princess Euphemia," Dalton explained.

"That's good. I'll be coming to see them with the prime minister as soon as he returns from negotiations with the EU," Cornelia said.

"I'm sure they're all looking forward to that."

Shortly after he ended the transmission Dalton heard a knock on his door.

"It's me, general," came the voice from the other side. "Do you have a moment?"

"For you, princess, always," Dalton responded.

He opened the door and let Princess Euphemia in.

"Please sit down, your highness. I'll get us something to drink."

Euphemia had not attempted to have Dalton stop calling her by the royal titles she no longer bore the way she had done with Suzaku, partly because she knew the general would never agree to it.

Dalton came back with a light wine and handed Euphemia a glass.

"What can I do for you, your highness?"

"You see, I thinking about something Lelouch said, about the importance of having people who understand the Japanese," she began.

"I can see the importance of that," Dalton said.

"We have plenty of people like that now with the Black Knights working for us, but we don't have many people on our side who really understand the Japanese people."

"I see." Dalton noted the way Euphemia said "our side" with satisfaction.

"I was thinking that it might be a good idea to enlist the help of someone from Clovis' administration. They were here for seven years and have a much more intimate understanding of the native population than you or I."

Dalton rubbed his chin in thought. "I understand. Unfortunately, there aren't too many of those people left. I don't wish to speak ill of the dead or of anyone in the royal family, but the government of Area 11 was extraordinarily corrupt under Prince Clovis. We recently had a purge of all the corrupt elements, and there are very few of his people who remain out of prison now."

"I see," Euphemia said. "It's a shame my brother Schneizel took General Bartley with him when he left for the EU. He could have been a big help."

"He didn't. The prime minister actually left General Bartley in Area 11. He's working in the Tokyo Settlement."

"Really?" Euphemia asked, genuinely surprised. "That's – that's excellent news! Do you think you could arrange for me to meet him? Even a little advice could go a long way."

"I'd be happy to arrange such a meeting, your highness."


	9. Chapter 9

Ohgi looked up from his paperwork at the sound of an incessant babble. Zero was as silent as usual as he entered the room, but the man walking beside him was not.

Even Ohgi, who was one of the most liberal and open-minded of the Black Knights, could not help but feel a sense of displeasure at the sight of Earl Lloyd Asplund. The bespectacled scientist was wildly unpopular with the former Japanese resistance for having created the Lancelot, the unit which had single-handedly snatched total victory from their grasp time and time again. In addition, the 'Earl of Pudding' had gained an infamous reputation from Rakshata's complaints about him.

It may have been Ohgi's imagination, but he thought he saw a hint of annoyance in Zero's body-language as the scientist continued his ramblings.

"Do you understand what I'm asking?" Lloyd asked, finally pausing to take a breath.

Zero stopped in front of the door to his private office. "It sounds like you want to take the druid system out of the Gawain and put it in an obsolete knightmare model to satisfy a teenage prince's sentimentality."

"Oh, no. I simply want to see if his ideas would actually work. It's quite a radical shift in design philosophy, and as a scientist it's got me very curious," Lloyd clarified. "I don't actually need to remove the druid system. I just need to examine it more closely so I can replicate it."

"And by allowing you to do so I would give Prince Schniezel access to both the druid system and whatever advances you create from it," Zero observed.

"Would that really be such a bad thing while you're at peace? I wouldn't worry about that if I were you. If the prince is wrong, then nothing will come of it. But if he's right, the new kind of knightmare we'd produce wouldn't be something the average soldier or even an ace pilot like Suzaku could derive any benefit from. Only people like 'little Lulu' and yourself could hope to pilot it effectively."

"Little Lulu?" Ohgi blurted out, shocked that a Britannian nobleman would dare refer to a member of the royal family in such a manner.

Lloyd laughed. "I heard from Suzaku and Nina that his friends call him that at school. I sometimes call the emperor 'Little Charlie.'"

"Send me detailed specifications of this knightmare you plan to build," Zero instructed Lloyd. "I want to know exactly what it should be capable of."

"Oh, goodie! Does that mean you've accepted my proposal?"

"I'll make my final decision after I've seen the blueprints and after I've spoken to Lelouch." With that, Zero entered his office and closed the door behind him.

"Thank you!" Lloyd called out from behind the door.

* * *

Kallen was nervous as she knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Kallen opened the door slowly. Euphemia was sitting at her desk, looking over what appeared to be a photo album.

"You wanted to see me, your highness?"

Euphemia looked up at her. "Please, have a seat."

Kallen sat down across the desk from Euphemia, who smiled at her.

"I wanted to speak with you since the meeting with your friends from Ashford Academy. You were so silent then."

Kallen stiffened, and Euphemia chuckled.

"Neither Suzaku nor Lelouch told me who you were. I may not be as smart as some of my siblings, but I'm not a complete idiot."

"I see," was all Kallen had to say.

"It was a surprise, seeing Zero's head of security and the girl who insulted me on Kamine Island in the same class as my brother and my knight. Why would a girl from the Stadtfeld family be mixed up in all this anyway?"

Kallen considered for a moment. Euphemia was either lying, or she truly had not done even a cursory glance into Kallen's background before asking to meet with her. A single conversation with Suzaku would have revealed the truth about Kallen's heritage.

"The truth is, I'm half-Japanese," Kallen admitted. She could see no more point in hiding what the princess could find out on her own so easily. "My mother is Japanese, and that's how I've always identified."

Euphemia nodded. "And so, when Zero arose, you decided to join the Black Knights."

"No. I was in the resistance long before Zero."

"You've been fighting since you were a child?" Euphemia asked in horror. "Why?"

Kallen glared at her, hiding her pain behind a mask of anger. "I joined up after my older brother died. He was the leader of the Shinjuku cell before the Britannians killed him."

"I'm so sorry," Euphemia said, looking genuinely saddened. "I know what it's like to lose a beloved brother."

She turned the album around and pushed it towards Kallen. "When I first met Suzaku, I told him that we shared a similar pain since he lost his father the way I lost my brother. What I didn't tell him, or anyone else, was that I wasn't really talking about Clovis."

Kallen picked up the album. A single picture took up an entire page. In the picture, three small children were 'attacking' a young woman in her late teens. It took Kallen a moment to recognize the woman, not because she looked so much younger, but because no one had seen Cornelia li Britannia so happy in many years.

Cornelia was being tickled by the children. The pink-haired girl and black-haired boy appeared to be about six years old, while the little blonde girl was about three.

"This was taken right after Cornelia was appointed to Lady Marianne's royal guard," Euphemia explained. "Marianne told us the tickling was part of Cornelia's 'initiation.'"

Kallen stared in awe. She had never seen Nunnally's eyes before. Here they were big and bright and the same violet color as her older brother. The little girl was so clearly full of energy it almost seemed like she could have leapt straight off the page.

But even in her blind and crippled state, Nunnally always seemed happy. The bigger shock was young Lelouch. Alone of the four subjects in the picture, he was looking directly at the camera, but he was no less thrilled than any of his three other siblings.

His eyes had changed so little in the decade-plus since the picture was taken. Even at the age of six, the same fiery intelligence everyone who met him recognized instantly was already apparently in those purple orbs. But like Cornelia, Kallen had never seen him truly smile before.

Kallen guessed that the reason Lelouch was looking at the camera was because it was Marianne herself who took the picture.

"After Cornelia was placed in Marianne's guard, I saw Lelouch and Nunnally far more than any of my other half-siblings. We were always pulling pranks on Cornelia," Euphemia explained.

Kallen pushed the album back towards Euphemia. She thought she knew what the princess was trying to do, but humanizing the Viceroy of Area Eleven after all the atrocities she had committed was a step too far for the Black Knight's ace. The last thing she wanted to hear was stories about how ticklish Cornelia li Britannia was.

"Lelouch really is your brother, isn't he?"

Euphemia nodded. "I guess it's one thing to hear people talk about it. It's another thing to see actual proof."

"I realize how lucky I am. Not everyone who loses a sibling finds them again seven years later." Euphemia's expression turned serious. "That's why I wanted to ask you: how do you feel about them, Lelouch and Nunnally?"

Kallen sighed. "I never really liked Lelouch. He always acted like he didn't care about anything. Now I don't know what to think."

"After everything he's been through, it's hard for Lelouch to trust people enough to open up to them. But he does care very deeply, just like Suzaku."

"But why do you?" Kallen demanded.

"Excuse me?" Euphemia asked.

"You weren't banished or had your mother killed. You're just a princess who's been pampered her whole life. You probably never met a Japanese person before now. So why did you set this all up? What does someone like Euphemia li Britannia care at all about the Japanese people?"

Euphemia smiled. "I started thinking about this after meeting Zero on Kamine Island."

Kallen's brow furrowed in thought. "Wait. You started planning this with Zero back then?"

"Oh, no. I didn't plan anything with Zero, and I didn't meet with him again until the opening ceremony. But I learned a lot about him then."

"You see, here I was, face to face with the terrorist who killed my brother Clovis, who has tried several times to kill my sister Cornelia, who has been trying to bring down my nation, and who was threatening me with a gun, and yet I was completely safe," Euphemia explained.

"He tried to keep up the tough guy act, acting like I was his prisoner and he could kill me at any moment, but I realized he didn't mean a word of it. I could tell that as much as he hated Britannia, as much as he hated my family, Zero had absolutely no hatred for _me._ My lineage, my nation didn't matter. All that mattered was that I hadn't personally done anything to earn his hatred.

Kallen stared at Euphemia with wide eyes as she continued.

"Britannian propaganda portrays Zero as a bloodthirsty monster who tries to kill as many Britannians as he can. But the person I saw on that island was someone who fights because he feels he has to. So I began to think, 'what if he didn't have to fight? What if there was another way? And that was the beginning of this special zone."

Euphemia smiled and looked down at the photo album. "What I want is to see people smile like that, whether they're the people I love or total strangers, whether they be Japanese or Britannian."

"Zero agreed to join you after you explained this all to him?" Kallen asked.

"Yes. I'm not so naïve to think I can change the world by myself. I knew I'd need Zero's help to make this work. I'd like your help as well, Kallen."

Kallen's eyes narrowed and her posture stiffened as Euphemia held out her hand.

"I'm sorry," she said, "but I've fought too long, I've hated Britannia too long, to take your hand now. I'm not here to take handouts from you or any other Britannian. I'm here for one reason, to rebuild Japan."

Euphemia withdrew her hand and nodded sadly. "I understand. But I still hope that, in time, we may become friends."

* * *

Lelouch rubbed his neck as he reached the keycard to his new house. Even if he had been a model student who never cut class, he would never have had to sit at a desk for as long as he was now required to. It was making his neck stiff.

Upon entering the apartment, he heard the conversation which had been going on come to an abrupt stop. Nunnally had unusually good hearing, and was instantly aware of the opening and closing of the front door.

"Welcome home, Lelouch," she called out.

Home. Lelouch in fact hated the house. It was a gift from Euphemia and Cornelia, meaning it was given to them by the Britannian government. It was also far too large for two teenagers and a maid. The li Britannias apparently expected Lelouch and Nunnally to instantly go back to living like royalty with many servants at their beck and call.

Lelouch had grown too independent over the previous eight years to want servants preparing all his meals and making his bed every morning. He liked cooking his own food and caring for Nunnally himself. And even if he did not feel that way, he could not trust anyone but Sayoko with Nunnally's safety.

He was glad Nunnally could not see how empty the house was with just the three of them there. It was a reminder of how little they actually had and how, despite Euphemia's best efforts and intentions, they could never truly regain what had been taken from them so long ago.

And yet, it was where Nunnally was, and that alone made it home.

Lelouch smiled as he stepped into the living room. Nunnally was sitting at the table with several schoolbooks scattered in front of her.

"Did your lessons go late?" Lelouch asked upon seeing the books. "I thought your new tutor would have left hours ago."

"I got so many calls from our siblings there wasn't much time for math, so the tutor said I need to study on my own tonight," Nunnally answered.

"I'd be happy to help. Sayoko, could you bring us some tea?"

The ninja maid rose and smiled at him. "It would be my pleasure, my lord."

Lelouch took a seat next to Nunnally and glanced over her books, which were all written in braille. He had arranged for Nunnally to have a private tutor until the new schools were completed. Now that their royal lineage was widely known, finding an instructor who could also read braille had not been a problem.

"Is there any part in particular you're having trouble with?" he asked.

"If it's not too much of a bother," Nunnally said. "I know how busy you are now."

"I'll always have time for you," Lelouch responded. "Compared to what I have to deal with all day, algebra's like a much-needed break."

Sayoko came back with their tea as Nunnally began explaining where her lessons had left off. The Japanese maid then left the siblings alone to talk.

"Looks like you've got it now," Lelouch said after Nunnally finally solved the equation which had been giving her a hard time.

"Yes, thank you!"

Lelouch leaned back. "So our half-siblings have been calling you."

"Some of them, anyway. Cornelia was so happy to talk with me. And Odysseus called three times!"

Lelouch could guess which of their other siblings had also contacted Nunnally, since they had called him as well after finding out he was still alive. The majority of their siblings had not called, and some, like First Princess Guinevere de Britannia only called because they felt it was dictated by their station.

There was very little love lost between the many offspring of Emperor Charles zi Britannia, a fact which Lelouch was sure Nunnally would have picked up on from who called and the tone of the conversations.

Nunnally looked down sadly, prompting Lelouch to ask: "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing. It's just – I thought maybe father would have called too."

Lelouch winced. One of the gambles he had taken when revealing their true identities was that their father would not care enough to contact them. While being summoned back to Pendragon would potentially allow him to use his Geass to get the answers he sought, it also ran the risk that the emperor would separate him and Nunnally. Being ignored entirely was the best they could have hoped for.

But Nunnally did not think that way. Lelouch had told her the bare minimum necessary to convince her that they needed to go into hiding. He could not bring himself to tell her how their own father called her a "weakling" he had no use for or the true reasons they were used as political tools.

"I really hoped father might have changed his mind after all this time," Nunnally said.

Lelouch took her hand in his own. "We're still political liabilities. That hasn't changed. We've got Euphie, but that's the only part of our old family we're ever going to get back."

Nunnally squeezed his hand. "You're right. I should be thankful for what I have. All I need to be happy is to be with you."

"And I'll always be here by your side," Lelouch assured her. "Now, what do you want for dinner tonight? I can make fish, chicken, or meatloaf."

* * *

After Nunnally was tucked in for the night, Lelouch silently handed Sayoko a note with his orders for the next day. He had found a hidden recording device in his first sweep of the building, and had deliberately left it in place to avoid suspicion.

As he got ready for bed himself, his phone lit up with a text message from C.C. She was also under orders not to call him so their conversations would not be heard.

He opened his phone as looked at the message.

_Just finished meeting with Chinese representative. They seem open to proposal._

Lelouch smirked.

It was time to see how Britannia responded to a real provocation,


End file.
